No Matter What
by Rouvas7x7
Summary: A few months have passed since the pharaoh departed for the afterlife. Yugi is moving on with his life and is anticipating a great future in Duel Monsters. A very evil and twisted Kaiba, the return of Yami Marik, and the unbreakable friendship of Yugi and Joey are all featured in this story. Very dark with mature themes. Lots of slash (not between Yugi and Joey) :) PLEASE REVIEW
1. Chapter 1 - Battle City V3 Victory

The end of Battle City V3 was dawning and Yugi Muto was prepared to face his final opponent - the ruthless Seto Kaiba, himself. This would be the first time Yugi would face Kaiba without the pharaoh's help and naturally, Yugi felt a bit uneasy. The pharoah had departed to the afterlife that spring, not long before Yugi graduated high school. It was now nearing the end of the summer and Yugi fought long and hard in many duels over the past month to get to this position. Some of the best duelists in the world fought in this tournament including Mai Valentine, Rebecca Hawkins, Ryo Bakura, Rafael, Valon, Allister, Mako Tsunami, Vivian Wong, and Joey Wheeler, Ishizu Ishtar, Marik Ishtar, and Odion Istar. Yugi and Kaiba were the last ones standing and this duel would either allow for Yugi to keep his title of world champion or grant it to Kaiba. As the two duelists stepped in to the Kaiba Dome arena, the screaming crowds roared with anticipation. Each duelist took their respective place and prepared to duel.

"I'll go first," smirked Kaiba. "I play Vorse Raider in attack mode and one card face down. I end."

"Very well, Kaiba," said Yugi. In his hand he had the cards Magic Formula, Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts, Berfomet, Polymerization, and Forbidden Scripture." Yugi examined his cards carefully before making his decision.

"I haven't got all day, Yugi," snorted Kaiba.

"I play one card face down and Polymerization to fuse Gazelle and Berfomet to summon Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast. Chimera, attack Vorse Raider!"

"Not so fast, Yugi! I activate Ring of Destruction. Your Beast is destroyed and we both take damage equal to its attack!" laughed Kaiba.

"I don't think so," said Yugi. "I activate the quick play Forbidden Scripture and do away with your Ring. Now, Chmera, commence with the attack!" shouted Yugi and Vorse Raider was destroyed. Kaiba's life points went from 4,000 to 3,800.

"My move!" shouted Kaiba. "I play Shrink and cut your beast's attack in half. I summon Kaiser Sea Horse and attack." Yugi's life points went down from 4,000 to 3,350 as Kaiba laughed rather maniacally. "Well, Mr. King of Games, whatever are you to do now?"

"My move," said Yugi. He drew and it was one his favorite cards. He smiled as he said "I set this monster and end my turn."

"How desperate!" shouted Kaiba. "Yugi, on this day I will strip you of your title. Where's your pharoah now? Without him holding your hand, you're pathetic. I summon Enraged Battle Ox and attack your set monster!" As Battle Ox struck the set card, the monster which appeared from it was none other than Marshmallon. Kaiba laughed before questioning "What does that thing do?"

"Whenever Marshmallon is attacked, you lose a thousand life points, Kaiba. Also, he can not be destroyed by battle."

"What? I lost a thousand points and my mighty beast couldn't defeat that little desert topping!" yelled Kaiba as Marshmallon and Yugi smiled at one another. The crowd cheered for Yugi as Kaiba fumed. Mokuba could have swore that he saw smoke come from Kaiba's ears. "Just go..." said Kaiba.

Yugi drew and it was his old pal, Summoned Skull. For now, he decided to pass on his turn.

"What? Do you have that pathetic of a hand to do anything so you're relying on your desert topping of a monster to defend you?" taunted Seto. "I draw. I activate Kaiser Sea Horse's special ability. I sacrifice him and his sacrifice counts as two tributes so long as it is for a light attribute monster. Come, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" screamed Kaiba. Yugi stared in to the eyes of the white dragon as it roared before him. Yugi remained calm and as the crowd cheered at the appearance of Blue-Eyes, Yugi patiently awaited Kaiba to quit his boasting and end his turn.

"My move," said Yugi. "I play Pot of Greed and draw two cards. Because I drew it via a card effect, I can special summon Watapon in defense mode."

"Really, a marshmallow and a cream puff?" questioned Kaiba.

"I then play Dark Magic Curtain and pay half my life points to summon the Dark Magician." The tall, sweeping dark red curtain appeared instantly and from it jumped the Dark Magician. He stood with his sceptar pointed directly at the Blue-Eyes. Yugi suddenly felt the presence of a force from millenia ago as his most trusted monster graced the field. I play Magic Formula to increase his attack points by 700. Now Dark Magician, attack Blue-Eyes with Dark magic Attack. Blue-Eyes succumbed to the attack, enfuriating Kaiba. "I play one card face down and end my turn," said Yugi.

"I play White Dragon Ritual and sacrifice Different Dimension Dragon from my hand to summon Paladin of White Dragon. I then play Soul Exchange to sacrifice your Dark Magician and my Battle Ox to summon Hyozanyru. The diamond dragon sparkled in the glimmering lights of the Kaiba Dome as it graced the stage. I attack your Watapon and end my turn. Yugi knew what he had to draw.

"Heart of the cards, guide me..." Yugi drew the spell card Ancient Rules which allowed him to summon one high leveled normal monster and he knew who he wanted. "I play Ancient Rules and use it to summon my Summoned Skull." Lightning struck the arena as the large, fiend creature appeared, growling as it gazed in to the eyes of Kaiba's monsters. "I also normal summon my Red Gadget which allows me to add Yellow Gadget to my hand," said Yugi. "Summoned Skull, destroy Hyozanyru," commanded Yugi. Lightning struck from the skull's hands as it devoured Kaiba's beautiful Dragon. "Your move..."

Kaiba looked disgusted. He played one face down card and summoned Z Metal Tank to the field before switching Paladin of White Dragon to defense mode and ending his turn. Yugi, confident he could destroy the beast, was weary of the face down card, but prepared to assault anyway.

"First, I play my Yellow Gadget which allows me to add Green Gadget to my hand. Summoned Skull, attack Z Metal Tank!"

"Activate trap - Negate attack," laughed Kaiba. "Your attack is negated and your battle phase is over, Yugi.

"I end," Kaiba."

"I play Y Dragon Head and combine it with Z Metal Tank! I also play Card Guard. Monsters I control can not be destroyed by battle this turn. Yugi, what's your plan now?"

Yugi drew and it was the Dark Magician of Chaos. He silently contemplated his next move before acting. "I sacrifice Summoned Skull and Marshmallon to play the Dark Magician of Chaos. His effect allows me to return one spell card to my hand and I choose Polymerization. Thanks to your Card Guard, I can not attack this turn so I end. Tell me Kaiba, how does it feel to be staring in to the eyes of one of the greatest spell casters in all of Duel Monsters?"

"He won't be here for long. I set one card and switch my machine to defense and end my turn."

"Chaos Mage, attack the YZ Dragon Head! Thanks to his effect, your machine is banished, Kaiba!

"Damn it," swore Kaiba under his breath. "Why didn't he attack the face down?"

"I then set one card and end my turn."

"I PASS. THERE'S NOTHING I SHALL DO," said KAIBA.

" I send my three magnet warriors Alpha, Beta, and Gamma from my hand to the graveyard to special summon the almighty Valkyrion the Magna Warrior! I also normal summon Yellow Gadget in attack mode. Now Kaiba, prepare to lose. Dark Magician of Chaos, attack his face down card," declared Yugi. It was Cyber Jar. This meant all monsters on the field were destroyed and each player drew 5 new cards, special summoning all the 4 star or lower monsters from the collection. Yugi gasped - his gadgets, chaos mage, and valkyrion were sent to the graveyard! Yugi played Silent Swordsman, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and Silent Magician. Kaiba played Lord of Dragons, Saggi the Dark Clown, and Blade Knight. "I set these two cards and end my turn."

"Alright, Blade Knight, attack Celtic Guardian!"

"I activate trap, Magic Cylindar! The attack is negated and you lose 1600 life points, Kaiba. The CEO cringed.

"Yugi, get ready to lose. I sacrifice Blade Knight and Saggi the Dark Clown to summon my Chaos Emperor Dragon!"

"Not so fast, Kaiba! Go, Lightforce Sword!" At this moment, Kaiba wanted to choke Yugi more now than ever. Kaiba smirked.

"I play two cards face down and end my turn."

"I sacrifice Celtic Guardian to play Curse of Dragon. Silent Magician attack Saggi and Silent Swordsman attack Lord of Dragons!" Kaiba, you're down to fifteen hundred life points. Now, Curse of Dragon, attack Blade Knight!"

"I activate Emergency Provisions and send my Quick Attack spell card to the graveyard to gain 1,000 life points. I'm at 2,100."

"I play Turn Jump to make three turns go by and my Silent Swordsman gains 1,500 attacks points. I end, Kaiba."

"My move, I play this card face down and summon White Stone of Legend. I than sacrifice it to special summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Blue-Eyes, attack Silent Swordsman!"

"But they're equal," said Yugi.

"Precisely," said Kaiba. "I now play Monster Reborn to resurrect the Blue-Eyes that I just lost. I end my turn,"

Yugi loathed the Blue-Eyes. It was Kaiba's signature monster and had caused him so much trouble over the years. Before Yugi could even make his next move, Kaiba opened his mouth.

"I activate Interdimensional Matter Transporter. Your Silent Magician is gone until the end phase. Now, Blue-Eyes, attack his dragon!"

"I activate my trap, Torrential Tribute. When a monster attacks, this card destroys all monsters on the field. Bye bye, Blue-Eyes."

"Just go..."

"I also set this card," said Yugi. Silent Magician appeared on the field as soon as he ended his turn.

"Yugi, you stole my title from me all those years ago when you defeated me with Exodia, but today, I will reclaim my glory! I set one card in defense mode and I play the spell card Enemy Controller. Silent Magician come to me.

"You're forgetting about her special effect, Kaiba. She is immune to your spell effects and so your enemy controller is useless. Yugi saw the hatred in Kaiba's eyes. Yugi smiled and the crowd cheered even louder. Kaiba ended his turn in disgust per usual.

Yugi began "I attack you with Silent Magician and I activate the trap card Magician's Circle. This trap may only be activated when a spell caster creature attacks. It allows both players to summon one spell caster with 2,000 or less attack points and I know just who I want. I summon Dark Magician Girl," said Yugi as Kaiba played the pathetic Petin the Dark Clown in defense mode. Silent Magician obliterated Kaiba's face down monster which was Mystic Horseman and Dark Magician Girl destroyed Petin the Dark Clown.

Kaiba was fuming, but as soon as realized what he could still do, he smiled creepily. He held in his hand the card which was temporarily banished turns ago by Yugi's Lightforce Sword. That card is Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End. Kaiba knew what he had to do to win the duel. Yugi would never be able to stop this creature...

"I banish Saggi the Dark Clown and Paladin of White Dragon from my graveyard to summon the Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End! I can pay 1,000 life points to force both of us to send all cards in our hands and on the field to the graveyard and you lose 300 life points for each! By this effect, both of Yugi's monsters were gone and Kaiba would surely win the duel. Yugi would lose 2,100 life points and was down to barely a thousand. "Now Yugi, I attack with Chaos- Emperor Dragon and end this duel!"

"So you think, Kaiba," declared Yugi. When you forced me to discard every card in my hand, I happened to discard one known as Electromagnetic Turtle. The effect of this card is that whenever it's sent to the graveyard, I can immediately end your battle phase.

"Fine. You've only stalled the inevitable, Yugi. Next turn, I will defeat you."

"Jeez, is Kaiba scary?" thought Yugi to himself as he watched Kaiba breathe heavily while expressing a creepy smile. "I play Card of Sanctity so we must draw until we're each holding six cards in our hand. I set two cards face down and play Blockman and end," said Yugi.

"I attack with Chaos Emperor Dragon! Get rid of your Blockman!"

"Not quite, Kaiba. I activate Soul Shield. By paying half my life points, I can save Blockman for now." Kaiba looked frustrated as he ended his turn. Yugi declared "My move. Alright, so I'm in a tough position, but I can win this. This is me being out on my own without the pharaah's help. My next card will determine the outcome of this duel. Heart of the cards, guide me. I play Card Destruction and so we both must discard our entire hand and draw the same number of cards. I activate Blockman's special ability to divide him in two and I summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction." Black lightning struck the ground and ostensibly from thin air, the massive black dragon appeared in front of Yugi. It was his answer to both Kaiba's Blue-Eyes and his Chaos Emperor Dragon. Gandora the Dragon of Destruction stood directly opposite of Kaiba's Chaos Emperor Dragon. Kaiba knew that this was indicated trouble. He became extremely afraid as Yugi was about to destroy the monster which he believed would surely secure his victory. Yugi's signature dragon glared at the Chaos Emperor Dragon and prepared to strike.

"Yugi, you have some nerve to threaten to destroy my Chaos Emperor Dragon!" warned Kaiba. Yugi was unafraid and called out the attack.

"Now, Gandora activate countless giga rays and wipe the field clean." Chaos Emperor Dragon was destroyed. Gandora's effect granted him 300 life points for every card destroyed via his effect. Yugi placed one card face down and attacked with Gandora's six hundred life points before the great dragon vanished to the graveyard.

"Damn you, Yugi," cursed Kaiba under his breath. "I play Lord of Dragons and then the Flute of Summoning Dragons. I bring out my Blue-Eyes. I reveal my face-down card Call of the Haunted and resurrect my other Blue-Eyes before playing Spell Reproduction to discard two spells from my hand to bring back Monster Reborn and resurrect my other Blue-Eyes. I play Fusion Gate and fuse them to form Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. "I attack you directly! IT'S OVER, YUGI!"

"So you think, Kaiba. I activate my trap Miracle Restoring. I then play the quick play spell card Spell textbook and it allows to halt your attack and draw one card. If it's a magic card, I can play it instantly." Yugi looked down at his deck and knew that this turn could be his last. He inhaled deeply and stared at it, trusting in the heart of the cards. It was Monster Reborn. "I play Monster Reborn and resurrect the Dark Magician and I then play the quick play spell card De-fusion. Say goodbye to Blue-Eyes Ultimate Kaiba," shouted Yugi as the three Blue-Eyes appeared on the field before the Dark Magician. "I now activate Miracle Restoring's effect to resurrect Buster Blader from my graveyard and use Fusion Gate's ability to fuse him with Dark Magician to summon the almighty Dark Paladin! He is immune to spell effects and gains 500 life points for every dragon on the field and in both player's graveyards and he has close to a total of 8,000 attack points!" Kaiba stood frozen in despair. Yugi's creature was far superior to the Blue-Eyes. There was nothing Kaiba could do this turn.

"I switch all of my monsters to defense mode," began Kaiba. "There's nothing I can do. His monster is too powerful," panicked the greedy CEO to himself. "I end my turn..."

"I switch my Dark Paladin in to defense mode, Kaiba. Now, I activate my trap card Zero Gravity and it switches all of our monsters to the Attack mode and so the Blue-Eyes are back in attack position. I attack your middle Blue-Eyes with Dark Paladin! End this duel, my warrior!"

Waves of celestial energy began rapidly pulsating out of Dark Paladin's great blade, causing the Blue-Eyes to succumb to defeat. Kaiba's life points dropped to zero and Yugi stood victorious.

"This can't be!" screamed Kaiba.

Yugi felt as though the pharaoh was standing next to him in awe at the sight of his victory over Kaiba. As much as Yugi loved Atem, this was not Atem's victory over Kaiba - it was solely Yugi's. That fact was so vital and salient in further proving Yugi's maturity. Kaiba stood in anguish, in a sort of paralysis for he stared in to space with a blank expression as Yugi stood triumphant. The crowds exploded in joy at the sight of Yugi's win. Tea, Tristan, Mai, Rebecca, Duke, Rafael, Aliister, Valon, Marik, Odion, Ishizu, and Grandpa all gathered around Yugi. Maximillion Pegasis gracefully They congratulated him and praised him for his victory. Although, the one whom would most be expected to support Yugi was not there. Joey Wheeler stood half way between Kaiba and Yugi. Kaiba was his boyfriend, but Yugi was his blood brother. This was awkward, especially because of how much Kaiba hated Yugi despite Yugi's efforts to befriend Kaiba.

"I should congratulate Yug," thought Joey to himself. He glanced at Kaiba whom glared right at him. He knew that Kaiba would not be pleased if he celebrated with Yugi and so he ran to Kaiba, whom was vanishing from site. Meanwhile, Rowland announced to the world that the reigning champion is Yugi Muto. Rowland was Kaiba's best friend - actually, he was his only friend. Abruptly, Mokuba grabbed the microphone from Rowland and announced the end of the tournament.

"And Yugi Muto is our winner! Congratulations, Yugi! The King of Games wins yet again! Thank you all for coming to our grand finale of Battle City V3. Hope to see you all at Battle City V4!" said an enthusiastic Mokuba as he waved to the crowds.

"Where's Joey?" thought Yugi to himself. Why hadn't he come to congratulate his dearest friend? Yugi looked to the distance and witnessed him walking with Kaiba, ostensibly leaving the stadium. "Joey?" whispered Yugi to himself. Lately, Joey had been blowing off Yugi on numerous occasions. In fact, ever since he started dating Kaiba, he made less and less time for Yugi. Everyone else was gathered around Yugi and Tristan lifted him off the ground. This required Mr. Taylor to bend forward a bit, thus sticking out his ass. Duke could only smile at the site of this. Once Tristan put Yugi down, Mokuba called him over to accept his victory.

"Thank you to all my fans for always supporting me. I would not be here without you. I always say to trust in the heart of the cards... an old friend who's no longer around taught me that," smiled Yugi. As Yugi was about to hand the microphone back to Mokuba, Maximillion Pegasus walked on to the scene, asking for the microphone. Yes, Pegasus, the only man in the world who could crash a party this humongous.

"Why hello there. Yes, it is I, Maximillion Pegasus - the creator of Duel Monsters. I wanted to congratulate everyone who competed in this tournament on their hard work and especially Yugi boy, here. He truly is the world's finest duelist. I also wanted to invite everyone who fought so valiantly in this competition to a special occasion I am throwing at Domino's grand ball room. Its tomorrow night, so be there," smiled Pegasus as he raised his hand to the masses of the stadium and handed the microphone to Mokuba.

That evening, Yugi stood on the roof of the Kame Game Shop, stargazing att he infinity of space. It had been such a long day after the victory - press conferences, interviews, countless autogragh signings... and tomorrow night was going to be fantastic for it was party of the year, hosted by none other than Maximillion Pegasus, himself and anybody who was anybody was going to be there. All of Yugi's friends had dates - Mai had Serenity, Tea had Rebecca, Tristan had Duke, Joey had Kaiba but Yugi had no one. The one Yugi loved did not live in this world anymore and he never would again.

"I hope your proud of me," said Yugi as he looked up to the night sky. The crescent moon was suspended high above the city lights of Domino and it perfectly complimented the scenery of billions of stars illuminating the infinite darkness. "It gets so hard without you, sometimes, but I'm doing just fine. I wish I could see you again, somehow. I still remember what you taught me - the heart of the cards," said Yugi with a half smile. "and I'll always remember it."

Grandpa intruded upon the scene, surprising Yugi.

"Yugi..." said Solomon.

"Yes, grandpa?" responded Yugi.

"I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you for what you accomplished today. You make this old man's heart fill with joy, Yugi. You truly have bonded with the spirits of all your cards and it shows," said grandpa as he stood at Yugi's side.

"Thank you. I worked so hard for to earn their trust. I know that wherever I go, they'll always be with me," responded Yugi.

"That's what i want to hear," said Grandpa as he hugged Yugi. "Now, you'd better start to prepare for that grand ball that Pegasus is throwing tomorrow evening. Mr. King of Games needs to look his best for the occasion."

The next morning, Yugi awoke and dressed himself for the day. Sunlight broke through the windows of Yugi's house and it was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the fresh summer air filled the lively city of Domino. Tonight was to be the grand party and Yugi would be celebrating with Pegasus and all the elites. Yugi secretly worried that he was losing Joey as a friend due to Seto Kaiba's ego. Kaiba hated Yugi with a fierce passion and saw him as his greatest rival. Ever since Yugi destroyed Kaiba in their first duel with one another, Kaiba could not stomach the thought of Yugi and his cards. Now that Joey and Kaiba were a couple, it seemed that Joey had become increasingly distant from Yugi over the past few weeks. It bothered Yugi a lot. After he ate breakfast, Yugi went downstairs to the shop and opened for his grandfather, whom was upstairs eating. The door opened and it was Tea. Tea, whom previously harbored feelings of romance for both Yugi and the pharaoh had recently gotten over them because she realized that Yugi and Atem belonged with each other. Besides, Tea had fallen in love with Rebecca Hawkins, the granddaughter of Solomon Muto's friend Arthur Hawkins. Tea now tried to be the best friend she could be to Yugi and the two of them shared many introspective and intimate discussions about life.

"Hello?" asked Tea as Yugi rose from beneath the counter. "Yugi, I wanted to see you before tonight and tell you again how proud I am of you for winning Battle City V3," smiled Tea. "I can't stay long though because I have to go home and get ready. My girlfriend wants me to look my best," said Tea, humorously. Yugi understood what she was alluding to for Rebecca was quite a handful at times and Yugi and Tea both knew how demanding she could be. If Tea looked anything less than her best, Rebecca would surely go off on her. Truth is, that's what Tea found so attractive about Rebecca - how confident and assertive she is.

"I'm excited, Tea. I can't wait for tonight. Everyone's going to be there and since Rebecca came in the top 10 of Battle City, she'll probably have a reserved seat at the front table with Pegasus and I. Since you're her date, you'll probably be able to sit there too," said Yugi.

"Yeah, I'm sure I will. I'm so excited and actually, I'm a bit nervous to be sitting with all the important people," vented Tea.

"Don't be nervous. It's a great opportunity," said Yugi.

"I know. I'm still deciding what to wear. It's so confusing. How's your grandpa? He must be so proud of you, Yugi," said Tea.

"He is. Right now, he's upstairs eating breakfast," said Yugi, whom paused for a moment and attained the courage to mention what was truly on his mind. "Um, Tea, I've really worried lately. Well, Joey... Ever since he started dating Kaiba, he hasn't been his self. He blows me off a lot these days and he didn't even congratulate me on my victory yet," confessed Yugi. "Honestly, I think Kaiba is turning him against me. You know how Kaiba feels about me, Tea," said Yugi as he looked downward as a sad expression formed across his face.

"Yugi, I've noticed it too. I know Kaiba isn't exactly a big fan of me either. He doesn't like any of us because he's too much of an ass to accept that you're a better duelist than him. Mokuba's so sweet. It's hard to believe that he's that cold hearted jerk's brother, but anyway, Joey's blown me off a lot recently, as well. So I get what you're saying."

"It just doesn't seem fair, you know? We were Joey's friends long before Kaiba was.," said Yugi as he placed new packets of cards on the shelves.

"Serenity's noticed it too," said Tea. A couple night's ago, Rebecca and I went on a double date with her and Mai , like a girls night out kinda thing, and she brought it up - How Joey's changed ever since he started dating Kaiba. She doesn't like it. You know how Serenity is. She's sweet and has the kindest heart and it takes ALOT to get her angry. She thinks Kaiba needs to lay off. Mai's noticed it too. She says Joey barely speaks to her anymore. You're not alone, Yugi. We've all noticed it."

"Well, at least I'm not the only one. I just don't get how Joey can change like that," said Yugi.

"Well, there comes a time when either he'll stick with us or he'll sell us out. If he's really our friend than he won't let Kaiba tell him who to hang around," said Tea.

"Yeah, you're right, Tea," admitted Yugi. He and Tea continued to talk for another hour or so about Joey, the tournament, the party, and life before Tea went home to start getting ready for the big night. Duke stopped by to greet Yugi and congratulate him once again, but he couldn't stay long for he too was invited to the party and needed to go home and prepare.


	2. Chapter 2 - Celebration and Betrayal

PART TWO - This chapter contains sexual themes towards the end.

That evening, Yugi was in his room. He dressed in a pair of black dress pants with a grey short-sleeve polo over it. He put on a black dress jacket over the shirt and slipped on his signature leather shoes. As he prepared to leave, his deck began glowing and the spirit of Kuriboh appeared next to him.

"Hi, Kuriboh," began Yugi. Kuriboh made his typical cheerful sound. "I'm going to Pegasus' party," continued Yugi. Again, Kuriboh made a cheerful sound. "Well, I have to go. My friends are picking me up at any moment now." Kuriboh hugged Yugi's head before disappearing. With his deck in its holder attached to his belt, Yugi walked down the stairs and bid goodbye to his grandpa before heading out the door. He stood on the side walk for a few moments awaiting his ride. The grey sky was darkening and the city lights of Domino brought light to the dusk. Mai Valentine was picking him up and soon enough, she swung by in her blue sports car. Serenity was in the passenger seat and Tea and Rebecca were in the back seat.

"Howdy, Yugi. You ready to rock?" asked Mai.

"Yeah, Mai. Thanks again for giving me a ride."

"Oh, no problem, Yugi. Tonight's gonna be the night of our lives."

"Yeah, I bet," agreed Yugi.

"Yugi! You kicked Kaiba's butt yesterday!" exclaimed Rebecca.

"Yeah, I did," laughed Yugi.

"Hi, Yugi," said a sweet voice from the passenger seat. It was Serenity.

"Hi, Serenity. How've you been?"

"Fine. I wanted to tell you again that you were fantastic in the tournament," smiled Mai's girlfriend.

"Thank you," smiled Yugi as Mai slammed on the brakes. A fancy sports car ran a red light and nearly made Mai wreck.

"Damn idiots!" shouted Mai. "Just who was that snob anyway?"

"I think that was Kaiba. That car had the Kaiba Corp logo on it and I think that is his personal car," said Yugi.

"That explains a lot," smirked Mai as she continued to drive to Domino's grand banquet hall, where the event was being held.

At the party, Yugi and the girls entered the lobby. A security guard was there and immediately recognized Yugi and allowed them all to pass. The grand ball room was a humongous room decorated with chandeliers and beautiful architecture. It was full of duelists, many of whom were familiar faces from the tournament. They saw Mokuba enter the grand hall, dressed in an elegant purple vest with grey dress slacks. He was escorted by Leon Schroeder. Kaiba and Joey were nowhere to be found.

"Wow, look at all the duelists," said Serenity.

"Yeah, more for me to crush. I mean... duel," said Rebecca.

"That's the spirit, hun," said Mai.

Meanwhile outside, Tristan pulled up in his average-looking car. He got out and opened the door for his passenger, Duke, whom stepped out of the car and than said to Tristan "Here, carry my hand bag."

A motorcycle approached the scene and its driver parked it right next to Tristan's car. On it was a well-built blonde man in a tight black leather jacket and long black dress slacks - It was Rafael and on the back of the bike was his lover, Valon.

"I didn't know those two were a couple," said Tristan."

"Damn right we are," said Valon in his Australian accent.

"Allister should be here soon with Espa Roba," said Rafael as the four men made their way to the ball room - Tristan escorting Duke and Rafael escorting Valon. Along the way, Tristan walked directly behind Duke and stared at his ass the entire time. When the four found Yugi and his friends they witnessed Rebecca in a heated debate with Vivian Wong.

"Listen kid, my Dragon Lady would eat your Diamond Head Dragon for lunch," spat Vivian Wong, but Rebecca would not have it.

"Listen Viv, there is no way your Dragon Lady could over power my Diamond Head Dragon. Trust me, I've done the math," snapped Rebecca.

"Ladies, break it up," said Duke. "I'm on a new diet inspired by Chinese legend. I need to be around as little negativity as possible and by arguing, you're giving off negative chi," said Duke.

"We're not arguing," said Vivian.

"Yeah, we're having a heated debate!" snapped Rebecca.

"Well than, agree to disagree," said Duke as Rebecca and Vivian glared at one another with angst.

"Fine, we'll settle this like adults," began Rebecca. "Vivian, the only way we could truly prove whose monster is superior is if we were to duel, but tonight really isn't the night for that so let's call a truce for now."

"Mmm... fine," said Vivian Wong reluctantly.

Yugi turned to Duke and his company. The group was all there and, in his own mind, Yugi placed Joey aside so that he could best enjoy the grand evening. This was his night for all the accomplishments he had made in dueling.

"Pleasure to see you, Yugi," said Rafael as he nodded his head.

"Good to see you too," replied Yugi. For some ten minutes or so, Yugi carried on a conversation with Rafael, Valon, and once he arrived, Allister, before Ishizu made her way to Yugi.

"Greetings, Yugi," said Ishizu.

"Hello, Ishizu," said Yugi. Marik and Odion joined the conversation. Ishizu was curious about what Yugi's life was like without the pharaoh and how well he was coping.

"I know he watches over me," smiled Yugi. "It gets so hard, sometimes, but I have all my loved ones supporting me and my trust in the cards and that's how I keep going."

"Yugi, although I no longer may see the future, I have a strong intuition that a day will come when you will take your place at his side and will be with him forever in the meadows of heaven," admitted Ishizu.

"I sure hope so," said Yugi. "I pray to him, sometimes. I can sense his presence."

"Well then, Yugi, this is your night and you have the right to rejoice and to celebrate. You have grown so much as a human being and that I can tell, blatantly," confessed Ishizu. Yugi felt a burst of positive energy escalate his spine.

"I'm so glad that it shows," confessed Yugi with a smile.

"Now then, where will we be sitting?" interrupted Duke.

"Over here, Duke boy," called Pegasus. "You'll all be sitting at the grand front table with me," said Pegasus as he led them all to it. The front grand table was a few feet elevated above the rest of the room and it was decorated with a beautiful bejeweled table cloth that only Pegasus could afford. Pegasus took his seat right in the middle of the table and he called to Yugi. "Yugi boy, you'll be sitting next to me," as he pointed to the next seat over. "Yugi, I want to again congratulate you for your victory. I honestly don't think that there's a duelist out there who could dethrone you."

"Well, thank you, Pegasus," smiled Yugi.

"Oh Yugi boy, call me Maximillion. But anyway, I have a present just for you, a very special present, indeed," stated Pegasus.

"Really?' asked Yugi.

"Most definitely, you see, not long ago, I discovered that the Black Luster Soldier card is not as powerful as it should be. You see, I re-examined the ancient tablet of the creature from Egypt and realized that it was one of two very special monsters which rivaled one another. A while ago, I found the other monster's tablet and turned it in to a one of a kind card, which I gave to Seto Kaiba. That card is the Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End. I realized the mistake I made with the original ritual Black Luster Soldier and I re-made it in to a one of a kind card with a tremendously powerful effect. Yugi boy," said Pegasus as he pulled an envelope out of his jacket pocket. "I present you with Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning," smiled Pegasus as he handed the envelope to Yugi.

"Thank you, Pegasus. I don't know what to say," confessed Yugi as he opened the envelope and pulled out the gorgeous new card which he stared at for a few minutes before putting it in his deck.

"Anytime, Yugi boy. If anyone is going to have that card, it should be you."

Ishizu, Odion, and Marik shortly arrived and took seats at the table, as did a very tall man with long blonde hair and fancy European clothing. "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I present to you the top 10 of Battle City V3," said Pegasus as everyone was seated. Joey and Kaiba were no where to be found. Little did everyone know that Kaiba refused to allow Joey anywhere near Yugi after his recent loss to him.

"Well," began Pegasus. "In tenth place, we have the cultural Vivian Wong; In ninth, we have the equally cultural Ishizu Ishtar; In eighth, we have one of the first duelists to ever achieve a PhD in Duel Monsters, Vellian Crowler; In seventh, we have Mr. Joey Wheeler, whom doesn't seem to be here tonight. In sixth, the prodigy duelist, Rebecca Hawkins; In fifth, the formerly maniacal Marik Ishtar; In fourth, the luxoriously rebellious Mai Valentine; in third, Rafael; in second, Kaiba boy himself, but he doesn't seem to be here," said Pegasus. "And lastly, the world champion - the King of Games himself, Yugi Muto is our winner!" declared an applauding Pegasus as the entire room applauded and cheered for Yugi. Yugi glanced around the audience, trying to recognize familiar faces and in one of the first rows, in his signature lavender suit was Zigfried Schroeder. A few seats away sat Allister and his date, Espa Roba. Yugi also spotted Mako Tsunami, the Dueling Doctor, Ryo Bakura, Duke Devlin and his slave, er... lover, Tristan, Rex Raptor, a few former rare hunters whom redeemed themselves from lives of crime and many other familiar faces from over the years. Joey and Kaiba were nowhere to be found.

"I hope Joey's alright. This doesn't make sense. Why would he miss this?" asked Yugi to himself. Pegasus went on.

"Thank you all for coming to night, again. I, your cordial host, wish to notify that Duel Monsters would not be the worldwide phenomena that it is if it wasn't for duelists like you. Thank you! Thank you! Tonight is going to be the party of the year. Let us celebrate our mutual love of Duel Monsters with this grand event," stressed Duel Monster's creator. Yugi did his best to quit thinking about Joey for after all, this is his night, not Joey's. With a smile, Yugi enjoyed his meal as he carried on lovely conversation with Pegasus about life and dueling. The royal dance section began and all the couples went to the dance floor. The beautiful music came from the live band and it was the tango. Serenity and Mai; Tea and Rebecca; Marik and Bakura; Duke and Tristan; Rafael and Valon; Allister and Espa Roba; Ishizu and Vivian Wong; Leon Schroeder and Mokuba; as well as many other couples all danced together in a romantic fashion. Although Yugi did not have a partner to dance with, he stood along the side lines, envisioning himself dancing with Atem. Rather than feelings mournful over the departure of Atem, Yugi chose to feel joy in watching all his friends dance. To his great surprise, Odion (whom was also single), greeted Yugi once again.

"King of Games, due to the unfortunate fact that we are both without a partner, may I escort you on the dance floor?" politely asked Odion. This surprised Yugi and brought a smile to his face.

"I'd be delighted," agreed Yugi as he took Odion by the hand and the two of them joined the rest of the dancers. Pegasus stood on an elevated platform, applauding the synchronized dancers as they danced the night away.

MEANWHILE...

"That's right, I want you to kidnap him and bring him to me and than the deed will be done," said Seto Kaiba.

"Yes, sir. We won't disappoint you."

"Good. Now leave me to my privacy," said Kaiba as he spun his chair around and faced the window overlooking all of Domino City. His dimly lit office echoed with a silence that screamed sinister. Kaiba folded his hands as he leaned back in his seat while staring at the city view. "Yugi's humiliated me for the last time..."

Back at the party, Yugi stood next to Pegasus as he introduced him to all his colleagues. Many people were gathered around them including the tall blonde man and a mysterious looking blue-haired young man whom was only about fifteen years old.

"Yugi boy, this is Dr. Vellian Crowler, a professor at the recently opened Duel Academy. As you know, this summer, he competed in Battle City V3 and placed in eighth.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Muto," said Dr. Crowler as he reached out to shake Yugi's hand. Returning the handshake, Yugi smiled and greeted back.

"Nice to meet you, Dr."

"And Yugi, this young man here has evoked great expectations in both myself and Vellian here," said Pegasus as he pointed to the blue-haired young man. "This is the top student at Duel Academy. He's one of Dr. Crowler's students. Although only a freshman, he's already greatly surpassed all of the other students in terms of dueling skill. His name is Zane Truesdale. He has the legendary Cyber Dragon Cards."

"Hello, Yugi," said Zane. "It's quite an honor to meet you."

"Zane, if you're as good as they say you are than I'm sure someday you'll be dueling alongside me in the pros," smiled Yugi as he shook Zane's hand. Zane blushed for he could not believe that he was meeting the King of Games.

On the other side of the room, Duke Devlin was chatting with some pro duelists, probably promoting the Dungeon Dice Monsters Game. He stood with one hand on his hip and the other holding his champagne glass, which he meticulously sipped while conversing with the people. Rafael, Valon, Aliister and Tristan stood there, listening to Duke go on and on. Tristan could not help but stare at Duke's beautiful pose. Tea pulled him away by the ear and said "Come on, lover boy."

Yugi signed so many autographs that he had lost count of just how many. It was such a pleasure to see so many of his old rivals and friends gathered together at this one place for the night of their lives. Through giant, extravagant windows, fireworks exploded in the night sky and they reminded Yugi of the same fireworks which went off years ago at the start of Duelist Kingdom.

The rest of the evening was an extravaganza with loads of enjoyment, old friends, and new rivals. Yugi knew that this was only the beginning of a great life in which he would live. All the international tournaments, exclusive parties, autograpgh signings, and royalties were only the beginning.  
"Those fireworks really are something, huh?" asked Mai.

"Yeah, they bring back so many memories and I can't believe how much time has passed by. It seems like only yesterday, I was on the boat headed for Duelist Kingdom and then Battle City and then the journey to ancient Egypt. Now, here I am and I just won this new tournament and I'm a celebrity. It's all so frightening in a way, but I love it," vented Yugi.

"Yugi, just know that I've always got your back, dude," said Mai as she patted him on the shoulder. Yugi's heart was warmed and he knew that Mai was a true friend.

"Yugi!" called Marik, whom rushed to him. With Marik was Ryo Bakura, whom was smiling at him and Yugi saw the look in Ryo's eyes - he was in love.

"Yeah?"

"Yugi, I just wanted to tell you congratulations again. You are so fantastic!"

"Thanks, Marik. I'm glad you managed to come tonight."

Yugi talked with Mai, Marik, and Bakura for some time. He spent the night socializing, drinking, and making news friends. Pegasus could not get over how proud he was of his "Yugi boy," nor how much he was anticipating the release of a new series of cards which his company, Industrial Illusions, was working on. The night went on and it was a blast.

A little after midnight, the party ended and Yugi and his friends prepared to leave, thanking Pegasus for the night of their lives. They got back in the car to go home. Yugi was the first one to be dropped off and as he walked in to the shop, he bid his friends good night. Mai, whom wanted to check her tumblr on her mobile phone, temporarily parked the car on the street a few houses down. Moments after Yugi entered the game shop, three men in black suits barged through the door and grabbed him, dragging him to the back of their van across the street. Rebecca, whom was looking through the back window of Mai's car, noticed the malefic incident and alerted the others. Mai turned around and secretly followed the mysterious van to the parking lot of Kaiba Corp's headquarters. The suits dragged Yugi to the roof of the building and left him there, locking the door as they ran back inside.

"I'm at Kaiba Corp," said Yugi to himself. "What is this shit?"

"Oh Yugi, what more could you want from life? You have so much fame and fortune and glory. Glory that should be mine," came a voice from behind. Yugi turned around to see Seto Kaiba step out of the shadows and smile maliciously at Yugi.

"Kaiba, what's this about? Why have you taken me hostage?" shouted Yugi.

"Because I am going to make you pay for everything you've put me through over the past four years. I hate you, Yugi and I want to pound in to your spiky little head just how concrete that statement is," said Kaiba as he pulled out a gun from his pocket.

"Ha, Kaiba," gasped Yugi. Kaiba began walking closer to Yugi and Yugi stepped backwards. Kaiba pointed the gun directly at Yugi and forced Yugi to the edge of the building.

"Now, you'll know all the trauma that I went through because of you and your pharaoh friend. Well now he's dead and he can't protect you anymore," said Kaiba. "And don't think I'll be in trouble for this later, Yugi, because as rich as I am, i can just buy people off. Say your prayer, Yugi," said Kaiba as he prepared to fire the bullet. Instantly, Yugi's deck began glowing. From out of nowhere, the Dark Magician appeared before Yugi and pointed its scepter directly at Kaiba. "What's this? Some kind of trick?" shouted Kaiba as his eyes widened.

"No, Kaiba. It's not a trick. The spirits of my cards are here to defend me," said Yugi. Instantly, Silent Magician appeared before Yugi and both magicians aimed their weapons directly at Kaiba. Kaiba stepped backward, nearly falling to his feet. He stepped forward and positioned himself as if he was preparing to shoot and Dark Magician fired an energy blast right before Kaiba's feet.

"Two can play at this game, Yugi. Go Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" shouted Kaiba as his monster appeared behind him. Yugi's magicians braced themselves, ready to defend Yugi to the death. Blue-Eyes roared and Kaiba smiled maniacally. "White Lightning!" shouted Kaiba and the dragon unleashed its devastating attack. The energy blast was about to hit Yugi before Dark Magician and Silent Magician crossed their scepters and unleashed a dual blast of energy which collided with white lightning. "Come on Blue-Eyes! Annihilate Yugi and his pathetic creatures!" but Kaiba spoke too soon. The combined power of the magicians overpowered Blue-Eyes and sent its own blast hurling back at it. Blue-Eyes was enraged and Kaiba, in his insane state of mind, commanded the Blue-Eyes to destroy Yugi at all cost. The Blue-Eyes went berserk, firing random blasts of energy at the Kaiba's Corp HQ's roof, shattering concrete and quaking the building structure. A fire began raging upon the roof and the two magicians formed a force field around Yugi which the blue-Eyes seemed unable to penetrate until it fired a super-charged blast of energy from its mouth. It was then that from Yugi's deck appeared the spirits of Dark Magician Girl, Magician of Black Chaos and the Sorcerer of Dark Magic. As Blue-Eyes was about to strike once again, the five spell casters crossed their respective scepters, merging their five individual attacks in to a massive energy blast which would surely push back the Blue-Eyes. The Blue-Eyes unleashed its most devastating force, a massive jet of energy which eclipsed all other things from sight, but it was countered by the combined blast of the five spell casters. The two attacks collided and seemed to be equal, but Yugi's creatures' blast overcame Kaiba's and the Blue-Eyes succumbed to the almighty powers of its own, as well as those of the opponents. The Blue-Eyes succumbed to the explosion, decimating in thin air, as a helicopter approached the scene. It was Pegasus.

"Yugi boy, take my hand!" shouted Pegasus as the five magicians disappeared. Yugi did just that and found Tea, Mai, Rebecca, Serenity, Duke, and Tristan aboard.

"Kaiba's trapped in that fire!" shouted Yugi.

"Never mind him," hissed Pegasus as the chopper flew away from the burning building.

"How did you find me?" asked Yugi.

"We saw Kaiba's goons take you hostage and drag you here," said Mai.

"Oh, Yugi, I'm so glad you're alright," said Serenity as she hugged him.

"Yugi boy, we'll deal with Kaiba later, but first, did he harm you in any way?" asked Pegasus.

"He was going to shoot me. He cornered me at the edge of the roof and then some of my duel monster spirits reacted and appeared to defend me. He got angry and called out his Blue-Eyes and the fight ensued. My creatures overcame his, but he commanded his Blue-Eyes to go berserk and it started firing everywhere and that's how the fire started. It was destroyed right before you guys arrived," said Yugi.

"Hmm, I suspect Kaiba boy isn't taking well to losing his own tournament," stated Pegasus. "Yugi, I don't think it is safe for you to return home tonight after what Kaiba pulled. You'd best stay at my hotel where all my security is. I'll rent you a room for the night," urged Pegasus.

"Alright, but what about my grandpa?"

"It's already taken care of. He's at my hotel," said Pegasus. "And ladies," began Pegasus as he glanced at the girls. "I urge all of you to do the same. There's no telling what Kaiba is capable of."

At the hotel, Yugi sat alone in his room, which was a very upper-class suite. He wondered how this would affect his friendship with Joey. How could Joey possibly take Kaiba's side in this? It just wouldn't make sense.

"Sometimes, blind love transcends logic," said Yugi to himself. There was a knock at the door...

"Yugi, it's Mai," came the voice.

"Hi, Mai," said Yugi as he answered the door.

"Yugi, we need to talk. Tonight, Kaiba really showed us what an ass he is. I'm really concerned for Joey. I don't want to scare Serenity. She's already scared enough by this load of B.S. and I don't know what's gonna happen next, but what I do know is that Joey needs to get away from that maniac, Kaiba. He's bad news."

"Mai, I agree, but I don't know if its going to be that easy."

"Well, than someone needs to smack sense in to Joey."

"Something is definitely wrong. Joey didn't even come to the party and neither did Kaiba."

"Precisely, Yugi," said Mai. "Just wait until I get my hands on that Seto Kaiba..."

That morning, Yugi awoke to the sound of Tea pounding on his door. The dawn had not yet broken and Tea told him to get ready and come down to the lobby to see the news. Yugi dressed himself and met with his friends in the vacant lobby for no one was there due to it being so early in the morning. Not even the employees were in the room. Yugi saw on the news headlines the tragic event which occurred the previous night. Pegasus must have gotten to the media before Kaiba did.

"Last night, reports are saying that Seto Kaiba, CEO of Kaiba Corporation, reportedly took Yugi Muto, the world champion of Duel Monsters, hostage and attempted to kill him. Thanks to the efforts of Yugi's friends and Maximillion Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters, Yugi was able to escape with no injuries. Seto Kaiba has not yet commented on this incident and there is no word from Yugi Muto about whether or not he will press charges against Kaiba."

"Kaiba's going to blow a fuse when he sees this," said Mai.

"There's no way he could cover this up even with all his money," said Rebecca.

Serenity's phone rang - it was Joey.

"Hello."

"Serenity, where are you guys? I need to talk to all of you."

"Joey, we're with Pegasus at the Domino Hotel," said Serenity. "Joey? He hung up..."

"Maybe Joey's finally coming to his senses," said Mai. Fifteen minutes later. Joey walked through the front doors and in to the lobby. He was dressed in a fancy white shirt and brown pants, clearly of designer brand.

"Where is he? Where's Yugi?" demanded Joey.

"I'm right here, Joey," calmly answered the King of Games.

"You little runt!" shouted Joey as he approached Yugi. "Because of you, Seto has third degree burns on his face and body. He almost died last night! Wait til I get my hands on you!" shouted Joey as he grabbed Yugi by the shirt and lifted him in to the air, positioning his fist to punch Yugi in the face. "Give me one reason not to hurt you."

"Joey, stop it! It wasn't Yugi's fault!" shrieked Serenity.

"Joey, Kaiba was trying to kill Yugi and he got hurt by his own error," declared Mai.

"You put Yugi down or I'll mess you up, bitch!" shouted Rebecca.

"Yugi's gonna pay for what he did to my Seto. First he humiliated him at his own tournament and now this? Yugi, say your prayers," said Joey as Yugi dangled via Joey's grasp. Instantly Yugi's deck began glowing and as Joey was about to deliver the detrimental blow, behind Yugi appeared the transparent spirit of Dark Magician. He glared at Joey while crossing his arms. Frightened, Joey knew it was best not to mess with Yugi and reluctantly let go and the Dark Magician vanished.

"Joey, I..." sobbed Yugi. He was fighting back tears as Joey glared at him.

"Joey, someone's gotta tell you the truth. You are way out of line ever since you started dating that greedy, rich snob, Kaiba. It's like we don't even know you anymore, Joey. You've been blowing off all of us and you didn't even congratulate Yugi when he kicked your lover's sorry ass in the final," declared Mai.

"Seto is my love. He is my everything and none of you can ever compete with him. So all of you better back off and leave him alone," shouted Joey in Mai's face. Serenity, apprehensive as she became, couldn't hold it anymore. Succumbing to this frustration, she had to say what was on her mind.

"Joey, you're being ridiculous. Kaiba's brainwashed you and is trying to drive you away from the ones who really care about you - us. This needs to stop and I want you to get away from that crude freak, Kaiba."

"Don't you EVER insult my Seto. He's the best damn thing that's ever happened to me and you all are jealous. I mean, Serenity, do you hear me?" shouted Joey as he shoved Serenity, nearly knocking her down. This was a big mistake.

"Don't you dare hit my girlfriend!" steamed Mai as she walked straight up to Joey and stared him dead in the eyes. "Get away from us, you sell-out," said Mai in a moderate tone which was obviously trying to conceal her anger.

"Fine, I'm outta here, you freaks," said Joey as he stormed outside. The gang was left speechless.

"What just happened?" asked Tea, whom was silent for the entire time.

"Joey..." said Yugi in a whimper.

"He can have his greedy ass Kaiba. Maybe someday he'll see that we're right," said Mai, whom had her arm over Serenity. Yugi couldn't restrain his tears. He ran out the front doors to try and catch Joey. He saw Joey in the parking lot, nearly at his car.

"Joey! Wait a moment," shouted Yugi. Joey rolled his eyes, cynically. Hatred surged through his veins at the sight of Yugi running towards him. The sun had not yet broken the night and as Yugi confronted Joey in the dark parking lot, Joey stuck up the middle finger to Yugi. "Joey, just talk to me. We've been the greatest of friends for five years and now you're throwing it all away because your mad man of a boyfriend has a vendetta against me for no good reason. Joey..."

"Save it, Yugi. Seto's burned, badly. He barely survived that attack, last night. If it wasn't for your monsters than he wouldn't be in this condition. Seto is the one I'll spend the rest of my life with and you can never stop us," said Joey concretely.

"So all our years of friendship mean nothing to you now?" asked Yugi.

"Exactly," said Joey. Suddenly Yugi's tears came to an abrupt halt. The sadness which he felt for Joey became replaced with intense acrimony. Yugi now comprehended the truth. Joey had sold him out and was not going to right the wrong. It was lucid to Yugi that he had to move on from Joey. If Joey was that shallow to throw away all that they had, than so be it."

"Fine than, Wheeler. Go spend your money and screw your master for all that I care. I hope you know that you're a slave to that crook, Kaiba. If you had an ounce of dignity or integrity than you would have never let this happen.

"You know what, Muto? Let's settle this like men and have a duel. Say goodbye to your reign as king, dick head," said Joey.

"Fine," said Yugi as he readied his duel disk, inserting his deck in to it. "It's time to duel!"

"I'll go first," said Joey, sternly. "I play Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode and I'll set one card. I end my turn."

"My move," said Yugi. "I play Silent Swordsman in attack mode and set two cards face down."

"Hmm, I bet his face down cards will spell doom for me," thought Joey to himself. "I play scape goat and end my turn."

"My move," said Yugi. "I play the spell card Turn Jump and with it, three turns pass by and my swordsman's special ability activates, giving him five hundred points per turn. So now he has 2,500 attack points. I also play Silver Fang in attack mode. Now Silent Swordsman, attack his Gearfried and Silver Fang, devour one of his Scapegoat tokens!" shouted Yugi.

"Damn it," cursed Joey as his creatures were destroyed and he lost 700 hundred life points. "My turn! I set one monster and end my turn," said Joey. "This is bad - I don't have anything that can overcome Yugi," whispered Joey to himself.

"My move," declared Yugi, bold and assertive. "I attack one of your Scapegoats with Silver Fang and your set card with Silent Swordsman," stated Yugi. The set monster was Panther Warrior. "I end my turn."

"I draw," asserted Joey. "Haha, this is the card to obliterate Yugi with," laughed Joey to himself. "I sacrifice my two remaining Scapegoat tokens to summon Gilford the Lightning! I then equip him with Lightning Blade and he gains 800 attack points, bringing him to 3,600. Gilford, destroy his Silent Swordsman!"

"I activate my trap - Spellbinding Circle. Your warrior is paralyzed and looses 700 attack points."

"Ugh," said Joey as he grinded his teeth. "I end my turn."

"Joey, this duel with conclude with my victory. I sacrifice my two creatures to summon my most trusted monster, the Dark Magician." The tall, mysterious warlock appeared from thin air, gracing the field with his element of arcane power. "I place all my trust in him to bring me victory in this fight. I play the spell card Magic Formula to give him 700 hundred extra attack points. I than play the spell card Thousand Knives which is specifically made for the Dark Magician - it allows him to automatically destroy one of your monsters and you know who that will be. Dark Magician, destroy Gilford the Lightning," commanded Yugi as the countless knives shot at Joey's most trusted monster, Gilford the Lightning, eradicating him. "And now, I activate the spell card Book of Secret Arts, which increases my Dark Magician's attack by another three hundred points. I attack your life points directly with my Dark Magician!" shouted Yugi. He had won the duel.

"DAMN YOU, YUGI!" shouted Joey as the duel ended. He began running toward Yugi, prepared to lunge at his former friend. Suddenly, the Dark Magician reappeared on the field and stretched out his hand, sending a wave of energy which pushed back Joey, sending him falling on his back.

"Walk away, Wheeler," asserted Yugi. Yugi's amethyst eyes radiated with crimson flames which reflected in the lights from the street lamps. He was driven by a righteous anger. Betrayal stabbed Yugi in the heart, but thanks to his own integrity and the help of his friends, he now knew that he did not need Joey. "Leave -I mean it, Wheeler. Go..."

"Fine," said Joey, explosively as he got up and glanced at Yugi once more before driving away.

"Thank you, Mahad. Please tell the pharaoh that I miss him and I'm fine," said Yugi to the Dark Magician, whom vanished. Yugi returned to the hotel lobby to find his friends there. Curious as they were, Yugi was not in the mood to explain what went on.

"It's finished. We shouldn't be hearing from him ever again," said Yugi in a most serious of fashion.

Later in the morning, Kaiba and Joey sat together in Seto's office. Joey angrily shared his intense disdain for the one whom he previously called his closest friend. Seto Kaiba fed off this negative energy.

"Yes, my love. We'll make Yugi Muto pay for the way he acted toward you today, as well as what he did to me the other night," said Kaiba as he leaned back in his chair with his hands folded before his chest.

"Seto, you're all I need. You've filled a void that no one has ever filled before - not Serenity, not Mai, and most certainly, not Yugi. When I'm with you, Seto, I finally love myself because you love me. I swear, I won't let ya down," assured Joey.

"We'll capture Yugi, somehow," assured Seto. "Maybe we'll lure him to us. We'll set a trap. Maybe we could capture one of his friends and he would surely attempt to save them. Then we'll go in for the kill. That Pegasus is another one worthy of my wrath. He's responsible for saving Yugi the last time. He also blabbed to the media about the previous night and humiliated my company. I have tons of stress from trying to cover up that event. I spent all day trying to silence anyone reporting it to the masses. Now, my love, I ask that you leave me to my work. Go and wait for me in our bedroom and I'll be in in a short while," said Seto.

"I will for you, my love," smiled Joey. Little did they know that Mokuba was secretly at the door, eavesdropping on their conversation. When he realized Joey was coming, he ran and barely evaded detection.

The day went on and Yugi returned to his house. He spent the afternoon working on new strategies for his deck before going out to dinner with Rafael, Valon, and Allister. After the dinner, Valon and Allister returned to their respective apartments, but Yugi stayed out with Rafael, walking through the streets of Domino as dusk set over the land. Passengers from oncoming traffic pointed at Yugi, smiling and staring at him as he walked alongside Rafael. The fame of being the King of Games came with the price of being idolized everywhere he went, but Yugi embraced every moment of it whether or not he was in the mood to.

"I always found Wheeler to be a bit off his rocker," said Rafael.

"I would have never expected it. Kaiba brainwashed him and he doesn't even remember who he is and those who stood by him all these years."

"Yugi, you're stronger than this. You've been through hell and survived it all. Your pharaoh friend would be so proud of you. I'm sure his heart would radiate with joy at the sight of you living on your own and embracing every moment of it. That's how I feel my deceased parents are towards me."

"I've been told this before by others - that Atem's heart would burn bright with pride for me. I like to believe that it's true. Honestly, Rafael, I loved him. I wanted to spend forever with him. When he left, it was so hard not to be depressed. It still gets that way, at times, but I always have faith that there will come a day when he and I will be reunited forever," confessed Yugi. By now, the two of them were at Yugi's house. Yugi invited in Rafael and to his surprise found Tea, Rebecca, Duke and Tristan in the shop.

"Yugi, your grandpa needed to run an emergency errand, so he asked me to run the shop for him while he was gone," said Tea, honestly. "I invited Duke and Tristan over."

"Oh, that's fine, Tea," said Yugi. "I knew that he had to leave tonight, anyway."

That evening, back at the Kaiba mansion...

"Seto, what you did last night was horrible," shouted Mokuba. "I can't believe you. I don't even know you anymore," cried Mokuba to his elder brother. Seto Kaiba sat in his dimly lit office while the night was still young. The light from the fireplace glowed against Seto's blue eyes. Demonstrating total apathy toward Mokuba's concern, he dismissed his brother. Little did Kaiba know, that earlier in the day, he had overheard him and Joey plotting to kill Yugi.

"Mokuba, I'm warning you: shut your mouth or suffer the consequences."

"What you did to Yugi was just terrible! You've really crossed the line this time, Seto!" whom threw an ash tray at Mokuba, barely missing his head.

"Mokuba..."

"I can't take this anymore. Ever since you started dating Joey, you've changed for the worse. Seto, I can't live with you any more. This is just too overwhelming for my heart to take," declared Mokuba with tears in his eyes.

"Then go," said Seto, simply.

"What?" asked Mokuba.

"I said to go," stated Seto. There was an awkward pause and Mokuba ran. He ran to his room to gather his things and left the mansion. Mokuba went to the only person that he knew could help him - Yugi.

Solomon was out of town for a few days. Yugi sat in the living room with Tea, Duke, Rafael, Rebecca, and Tristan. Duke sat with one leg over the other while he sipped a glass of vegan soda. Tristan sat on the floor, staring at Duke's crotch and Tea sat upon the couch. Yugi's cell phone suddenly rang and to his surprise, it was Mokuba.

"Mokuba?" asked Yugi as he answered.

"Seto's turned in to a freak! Ever since he started dating Joey, he's become even more mean than usual. The only one he wants to be around is Joey. He blows me off all the time and recently started calling me 'brat' and its heartbreaking. I know what he did to you the other night Yugi and I'm sorry for that. It's his own fault that he has those burns over his body, but he has Joey believing that its your fault," vented Mokuba. "Yugi, I'm sorry that Seto's acting like this," said Mokuba, ashamedly.

"It's alright, Mokuba," said Yugi.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do," confessed Mokuba. "I want Seto back, but after how he's been acting, this will be tough. Truth is, Yugi, I was cheering for you in your final duel with Seto, the other day. I've always been Seto's number one fan, but when it comes to who really is the true King of Games, its you, Yugi. I've accepted that, but Seto still hasn't and he probably never will. He spends so much time hating you that I just don't understand it. I've come to like you guys a lot. Yugi, when you won, I was ecstatic. That's why I was so cheerful when I announced to the crowd your victory at the end," smiled Mokuba.

"How in the world is this kid Seto Kaiba's brother?" thought Yugi to himself.

"Yugi, Seto's planning on capturing you again. I overheard him talking with Joey, today," said Mokuba. Yugi was speechless.

"Again?" asked Yugi.

"Yes, and this time, he's not going to let you escape so easily," continued Mokuba. "Yugi, I have to go. I'm at the hotel and am going to check in for the night. Call me back if you need to know anything else."

"That was Mokuba. He ran away from Kaiba and he says Kaiba is plotting to kill me," said Yugi as an awkward silence drowned the room. All of his friends stared at him, speechless.

Meanwhile at the Kaiba Mansion...

"Yes, my love. Show me how much you love me," demanded Seto, whom was sitting on a sofa in a pair of dress pants, shirtless. His lover lay upon his lap, entirely naked with the exception of his tight, black underwear, caressing his soul with sexually suggestive comments.

"Joey, you're the one thing in this world that gives me hope. I see nothing but darkness with the exception of you. You are the sole light that I see, a most salient feature of my existence. Without you, I would surely perish, my love."

"Seto, I must confess that sometimes, I miss my old friends. I don't know if what I did to them today was the right thing to do. I did it for you because I love you above all other things, Seto. I saw the tears in Yugi's eyes after I threatened him. The only thing that held me back was when I grabbed him, his signature monster, the Dark Magician appeared behind him and glared at me. I knew not to attack or I could be seriously hurt. Seto, you know that the monster spirits exist, right? You always used to deny their existence."

"I have accepted their existence, my love. Why do you think I called upon the Blue-Eyes in the fight with Yugi the other night? In our next encounter, I'll have my dragon obliterate his pathetic magician. I will now say that I don't ever want to hear you mention Yugi or his friends ever again, unless it is something negative. You and I belong to one another, Joey. Your old life is gone and I am your new life. Obey my request and I promise you, happiness will come," said Kaiba.

"Seto, you give me a reason to go to bed at night," smiled Joey. "My body is your toy, babe," continued Joey as he touched the severe burn across Kaiba's face, which was concealed in shadow.

"Most definitely, darling," said Kaiba with a cryptic smile as he turned off the lamp next to their bed.


	3. Chapter 3 - Friends Forever

Yugi knew that Mokuba meant trouble – Kaiba has transitioned from his prior greedy, selfish, cynical, egotistical self in to all that and with lethal doses of malice. Joey was completely brainwashed and Yugi knew that it may already be too late to rescue him and restore his sanity. Revelation of truth must be brought to Joey and he would need to be willing to accept them for a catharsis to take place. Abrasively, pounding was heard on the door, which was accompanied by thumping voices which were shouting obscenities. Yugi looked out the window and saw that it was the same suits that captured and held him hostage nights prior. Defying their ruthless demands, Yugi knew that he had to leave.

"Mystic box," said Yugi as he held up his spell card. Instantly, a huge black locker-like box appeared before the group. "The other one is somewhere else in the town. We need to go through this and it'll take us to where it is, hopefully away from those suits," said Yugi as he and his friends entered through the box, one at a time. They appeared in an alley a few blocks away from the Kame Game Shop. Yugi once again held up the card, canceling out its effect and thus, causing both boxes to disappear.

"Where do we hide now, Yugi?" asked Tea.

"You all are going to take refuge with Pegasus. As for me, I'm going to face Kaiba head-on and get Joey back.

"You can't go alone," squealed Tea.

"I have to. It's the only way that I can rescue Joey from Kaiba."

"We're going with you," interrupted Duke.

"We are?" asked Tristan just before Duke elbowed him in the shoulder.

"I mean, of course we are," asserted Tristan. In the distance, an explosion erupted and as Yugi turned his head, his worst fear was confirmed. The explosion came from the Kame Game Shop. Everyone stared at Yugi, anxious to observe his expression.

"That's it," said Yugi. "We strike tonight."

"How are we gonna get there, undetected?" asked Duke.

"Simple," said Rafael. "On motorcycles," he said, shadily as he pointed to the junk yard right down the street. The group made its way, safely and undetected, to the scrap yard. Tea secretly texted Mai, Serenity, Rebecca, and Bakura for she felt that they would need all the help that they could get. At the junk yard, a group of motorcycles were lined up, still in working condition with the keys in gear. These bikes had to have been recently dropped off for they were not very rusted.

"How did you know there were motorcycles here?" asked Duke.

"I hang out here with Valon and Allister, sometimes," confessed Rafael, whom immediately seated himself upon the crimson motorcycle.

"I'll take this," said Tristan as he pointed to crusty-looking green one. "Duke, your riding on the back of mine," before he whispered to himself "I'm not letting him get up anyone else's ass."

"Frick no. I'm flying solo this time, Tristan," asserted Duke with confidence as he sat down upon a motorcycle. The bike was orange and had strange symbols spray painted upon it.

"I'll take this one," said Yugi as he sat himself upon rugged-looking black one. Just in time, the others arrived.

"You didn't think we'd let you go without us, now, did you?" asked Mai as she sat herself down upon a blue, sporty motorcycle and Serenity got on the back.

"Yeah, you know we wanna kick Kaiba's ass as much as all of you!" asserted Rebecca as she jumped on a yellow motorcycle with lightning bolts painted on to it, cocked, locked, and ready to rock. "Tea, get on the back. I'm driving."

"Ugh, okay," said Tea.

Lastly, Bakura, got on one. Rafael led the assault with Yugi right next to him. The moon was hanging in the sky and Yugi held within his heart the will and the devotion to save Joey and have him brought back to the side of light. He knew that it would not be without difficulty, but it would be worth it.

"Ready," began Rafael as everyone revved their respective bike. "GO!" and all the bikers rode in to the streets, prepared to cause chaos for the sake of justice.

"Let's ride these bikes as if we stole them!" shouted Mai. Ostensibly from out of nowhere, Kaiba Corp's jeeps full of guards filled the streets, abruptly chasing after the gang. "I'll take care of this," said Mai. "Harpy Ladies," and Mai's deck began glowing before the three Harpy Lady sisters appeared above the streets, going to cause road rage and hell to Kaiba's men. "That'll stop them for a while," said Mai as the group their way through the streets of Domino. More of Kaiba's men came, inevitably setting the stage for more insanity.

"Go, Marie the Fallen One and Ruby Dragon," shouted Rebecca as her monsters appeared, preparing to strike. Just ahead, there was a road block. Kaiba's goons had trapped Yugi and the others. Little did they comprehend the power of the monster spirits.

"Go Guardian Eatos," shouted Rafael as his most trusted monster appeared before them, unleashing a huge wave of white energy, which broke the road block, sending all of the jeeps cascading against the building walls and clearing the way. Kaiba Corp's headquarters was directly ahead and the light in Yugi's eyes reflected in the moonlight as he braced himself for what was potentially a suicide mission. Both Mai's and Rebecca's monsters had caught up with the group. Yugi called forth Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Silent Magician as the bikers sped towards the gates of Kaiba's company. The Dark Magician unleashed a blast of energy which shattered anything that blocked their way in to the company grounds. It was late and most of Kaiba's workers were home, safe and sound, but with the exception of some security guards. Yugi and the group parked their bikes along the side of the building, prepared to move forward with the operation.

"Alright, Rebecca, Duke, you two are in charge here. Rebecca, here, you have a good view of the front gates. Keep watch for Kaiba's potential reinforcements," said Mai. "Duke, I need you to sneak over to the toll booth and shut off any security procedures around the grounds. Take your deck with you and don't be afraid to use it. Tea, Bakura, and Serenity," said Mai just before she kissed Serenity on the forehead. "You three wait here with Rebecca. Yugi, Rafael, and I will make our way to the top of the building and confront Kaiba. Do I make myself clear?"

"What about me?" asked Tristan.

"Oh that's right. What about you?" whispered Mai to herself. "Stay here with the others."

"Wait, what?" asked Tristan.

"You heard me," said Mai.

"But, I should go with Duke,"

"Geez, are you clingy or what?" asked Duke. Tristan grew uptight and grabbed him, fiercely, by the hand, breaking one of Duke's artificial nails in the process.

"Ugh, my nail. You sorry ass, look what you did!" said Duke as he smacked Tristan across the face.

"Enough," demanded Mai. "Get ready. Operation SAVE JOEY'S ASS is commencing. Let's go," asserted Mai. She, Rafael, and Yugi ran to the front entrance of the building and Duke ran to the security control booth near the front gates of the grounds. He successfully eluded any guards by using the magic of his card Warp Hole, which allowed him to warp to the said location, kicking open the door and surprising the guard.

"How do you like my dice?" asked Duke as he removed his dice-shaped earrings and shot them, rapidly, at the security guard's head and knocking him out. "Now to make sure no more reinforcements arrive," said Duke to himself as he glanced at the control panel. "Here it is," as he picked up the phone. "This is the security guard at the front of Kaiba Corp: Officer Keith Crawford," per the unconscious guard's name tag. "We've taken care of the intruders and no longer need any reinforcements. Thank you."

"Alright, copy that, office. Out," replied the other line.

"Excellent," smiled Duke as he sat in the chair by the controls and kicked his feet up on the counter, awaiting a signal from Mai.

Meanwhile…

"Yugi, do you know where Kaiba's office is?"

"Yeah, I was in it once. It's on the 16'th floor," said Yugi as the three of them ran through the lobby and to the elevators.

"Harpy Ladies," said Mai as she called her most trusted monsters to deal with the security guards. The three of them made it to the elevator, hastily shuffling themselves in to as Yugi hit the button for the sixteenth floor. Up the elevator went, finally opening its doors upon destination. As peculiar as it was, there seemed to be no guards on this floor. After searching for a few moments, the three of them came to a very fancy, wooden door that read "Office of Seto Kaiba, CEO" and they knew that they were at the destination. Yugi opened the door with reluctance that was being contradicted by ambition. This ambition was for Joey – to win him back.

"Here we go," said Yugi as he twisted the door knob.

The room was dark and no one could be seen. Suddenly, a small light turned on, ostensibly by itself and the room became very dimly lit. Yugi and the other two glanced around, hoping for some sign of life, before the distinct voice of none other than Seto Kaiba was heard.

"So, you think that you can just break in to my company and intrude in to my private office without me knowing?" said Kaiba. "We'll allow me to explain to all of you that if you hope to tear Mr. Wheeler away from me, than you will be disappointed because he's not going anywhere, except home to my bedroom."

"Cut the crap, Kaiba. You know why we're here. Now tell us, where's Joey?" demanded Mai.

"You're not really in a position to be making threats, girl. In fact, if I were you, than I'd be running to the exit because I can assure you that none of you will survive this night."

"Is that so?" interrupted Rafael as he clenched his fists.

"I don't know if we've ever properly met. All I know is that you're the duelist who once beat Yugi and his pharaoh friend before they snatched back their crown from you after a second duel. You used to be one of that maniac, Dartz's, men. You have a lot of nerve to come here after your former boss took over my company. Tonight, you'll meet your end."

"Kaiba, quit hiding and show us your face, you coward. I saw what you did to my house and I've had it with you!" exclaimed Yugi. "Even Mokuba wants nothing to do with you anymore. You drove away the one person who loved you so unconditionally."

"Mokuba can die for all I care. I only cater to Joseph. He is forever mine and I am forever his. He's the only person that I've ever opened myself to, both emotionally and sexually. I will give you three a chance to leave before I unleash my true wrath upon you," said Kaiba, sternly.

"Not until Joey comes with us," said Yugi.

"So be it than," said Kaiba as he spun his chair around, facing the three of them. "I wish to show all of you how deep my devotion to Joey truly is," as he unbuttoned his shirt. Once his shirt was off, Kaiba stood up from his chair and threw the shirt on the table. He turned his back to the others, thus revealing the words "Joseph and Seto forever," carved in to his back. Yugi nearly gagged at the sight of it before Kaiba pulled out a gun from his desk and pointed it directly at Yugi. "Yugi, I'm not prepared to lose my one and only true love to you. I already lost to you my title of world champion. Yugi, give me one good reason for why I should not pull this trigger. I'm growing impatient," demanded Kaiba as he stood up.

"Kaiba, I'm warning you. If you strike me down than my monster spirits will surely go after you. "

"Don't make me laugh, Yugi. I don't want your blood on my office floor, so walk," demanded Seto as he gestured for Yugi to leave the room. Seto followed with his gun as Yugi, Mai, and Rafael made their way back to the end of the hallway before a large glass wall, which overlooked the ocean. "This is where you will die. I'll shoot you and your body will crash right through the window and plummet to the ground. Where's your pharaoh now, Yugi?" screamed Kaiba as he pulled the trigger. Suddenly, Yugi's deck began glowing and just as the bullet shot, Yugi, Mai, and Rafael were transported to where Kaiba was standing and vice versa. The bullet hit Kaiba in the lung, sending him crashing through the glass and apparently falling to his death. Confused as to what had happened, Yugi looked behind him and found the answer.

"It's you. You saved us. Thank you," said Yugi, whose heart was overflowing with gratitude. The Dark Magician was standing there. It was him who cast the spell of instant transmission at the last moment, which rescued Yugi and the other two from the gun shot.

"The pharaoh is pleased with you, Yugi," spoke the Dark Magician . "He told me…" and a familiar roar was heard outside. It was too soon to celebrate. Outside the window, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon floated, suspended in mid-air and atop its head was Seto Kaiba, whom was bleeding from the chest.

"Yugi, my Blue-Eyes saved me just as the Dark Magician saved you. It is my Blue-Eyes that keeps me alive. He is constantly giving unto me his life force, which prevents me from dying despite my current fatality. Now, Yugi, let's see who is the greater warrior as we each fight alongside our own most trusted monster."

"Kaiba, I'll end your insanity once and for all!" shouted Yugi. The Dark Magician put his hand in front of Yugi, signaling to him to stay back. The Blue-Eyes prepared to unleash white lightning upon Yugi. The Dark Magician defended with his most powerful dark magic attack. The waves of black energy resembled a tsunami, cascading through the air with a force like thunder. The two blasts collided, causing a massive explosion and resulted in the destruction of the entire wall and large chunks of the floor. The two creatures engaged in a serious conflict, firing constant blasts of energy at one another. The Dark Magician dodged every one of the Blue-Eyes blasts, but lacked the ferocity and power of the legendary dragon.

"He needs help," said Yugi. "Go Buster Blader and Silent Magician!" as both the legendary dragon slayer and the angelic sorcerer erupted out of Yugi's deck with the ferocity of a hurricane. Silent Magician turned to Yugi with his beautiful white hair blowing in the wind.

"Now, Polymerization! Buster Blader, fuse with Dark Magician to form Dark Paladin!" shouted Yugi. "And now, I call forth Gandora the Dragon of Destruction! It's time to fight dragon with dragon."

Gandora roared as he lowered his head for Yugi to climb on to it. The mighty black dragon charged in to the night, flying directly towards the Blue-Eyes and unleashing a dark red jet of energy out of its mouth towards the dragon of white. Blue-Eyes was hit dead in the chest by the blast and in retaliation, charged at Gandora. The two dragons became locked in a tight battle with each of their arms pushing at the other's. Dark Paladin slashed the back of its neck with his blade, causing the white dragon to screech as it let go of Gandora and plummeted in to the water below. It was then that Silent Magician shot a blast of white energy at the Blue-Eyes which seemed to stun it as it hit the water.

"Is it dead?" questioned Yugi to himself. After a moment of silence, the Blue-Eyes came charging out of the ocean depths only to re-engage in battle with Yugi's creatures. Kaiba held on tight to the Blue-Eyes as it survived Dark Paladin's attacks. The ultimate magical swordsman slashed its deathly blade, unleashing massive waves of energy. These waves slashed the Blue-Eyes' torso, causing it to bleed. Kaiba turned his head to see Gandora flying towards the battle. Kaiba's heart nearly stopped for now he had to deal with two incredibly powerful foes.

"Gandora, countless giga rays!" and the dragon unleashed its most devastating attack. As the infinite red jets of destruction fired from the gems across the great black dragon's body, the Blue-Eyes became caught in their path. Succumbing to agony, the great white dragon went plummeting down towards the ground below, but not before Seto Kaiba screamed in anguish.

"Blue-Eyes, transform in to Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

Glowing white, Kaiba's one headed dragon transitioned in to a three-headed creature and flew high in to the atmosphere, passing Yugi and journeying in to the dark sky.

"What's he doing?" asked Yugi to himself. Within a matter of seconds, the sky lit up as humongous jolts of white lightning struck the ground. Kaiba's ultimate dragon seemed to be a force that could destroy the entire world. Distant buildings were hit and collapsed under flames. Away from the battle and after hearing the clash of the giants, Joey Wheeler stared out the window of Seto Kaiba's office to witness it.

"Yugi…" hesitated Joey to himself.

"I can't just stand by and watch anymore," persisted Mai. "Harpie's Pet Dragon!"

"Guardian Eatos!" shouted Rafael. Their respective creatures appeared alongside Yugi's monsters as they awaited the Blue-Eyes Ultimate to descend from the sky. That it did for in seconds, it came shooting down with the force of a comet. Gandora meticulously flew around all of the Blue-Eyes forthcoming blasts as Dark Paladin attempted to slash its throat with his mighty blade. From the ground below, the others witnessed the battle.

"We need to help Yugi!" declared Rebecca. "Go, Diamond Head Dragon!"

"Guardian Angel Joan!" called Serenity as she held up the card that Mai gave her. The gorgeous fairy stretched out its wings while she glowed with a celestial aura and flew in to battle, alongside Rebecca's dragon. The Harpy Lady sisters and guardians Kayest, Grarl, and Elma appeared on the scene.

"Seiyaryu!" called Tea as her sparkling dragon joined the fight.

"Orgoth the Relentless!" called Duke.

"Dark Necrofear," called Bakura.

"Ugh, yeah, I don't have any good monsters," said Tristan to himself. "Oh, wait. Yeah, I have Thunder Kid," said Tristan as he pulled out his cards from his pocket. "Go Thunder Kid!" Thunder Kid appeared and growled, but than coughed. The chubby, yellow, little monster looked at the Blue-Eyes and faced its fear. Everyone stared at Tristan awkwardly at the sight of Thunder Kid as it struggled to fly through the air, falling severely behind all the other monsters and almost being knocked over by Rebecca's recently summoned Shadow Ghoul. The new monsters joined the fight and did battle with the Blue-Eyes.

As the fight ensued, all of the monsters brutally unleashed their full fury upon the Blue-Eyes. A huge explosion came from the Blue-Eyes Ultimate, sending all of the other creatures flying backward. The Blue-Eyes was unstoppable as fired rapid jets of energy in all directions, per Kaiba's careless command, even upon his own building. With thunder-esque dynamics, Kaiba's voice echoed across the night for it was amplified by the power of the Blue-Eyes.

"All of you: surrender now. Look at all the destruction that has been caused by your will to fight me. You can't resist the wrath of my dragon. Not even you, Yugi! Any hope you have of rescuing Joey from his slavery to me is futile. I own him and none of you can change that. Do you hear me? Now Yugi, you've breathed you last breath. Prepare to die!" screamed Kaiba as his dragon unleashed a gargantuan energy blast directly at him. From out of nowhere, the Dark Paladin jumped in the way and fought with all his might to block the blast. Kaiba did not realize that Joey heard what he had just said. At the sight of Kaiba trying to kill Yugi, something within Joey awakened.

"Yugi… he's fighting for me," said Joey to himself as a light began to shine within his heart.

"He needs help," cried Yugi. "I enhance his power with Magic Formula and call forth the Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!"

The black armored warrior appeared, emitting an aura which reflected the nature of chaos, he flew above the clash to the middle head of the ultimate dragon. Flabbergasted, Kaiba cursed.

"What is this fuck?"

"The one who will vanquish your dragon, Kaiba," answered Yugi. "Go, Black Luster Soldier and send away the ultimate dragon to the realm of chaos!" before the legendary warrior impaled his blade in to the head of the Blue-Eyes, sealing its fate. The great dragon cried after releasing its hold of its attack. The Dark Paladin pushed the blast back at the ultimate dragon just as the Black Luster Solider retrieved his blade from its now bleeding head. In an effort to save its master from its fate, the Blue-Eyes sent Kaiba flying off its head and on to the top of the Kaiba Corp HQ.

On this night, Seto Kaiba's signature dragon was no more. From its first master, the ancient Egyptian high priest Seth, to its final master, the ruthless Seto Kaiba, the legendary dragon of white met its tragic end at the hand of its nemesis, the Dark Magician, whom came out of the battle, victoriously. The Blue-Eyes' flesh faded away as its body disintegrated to nothing. In the end, all of the monsters who fought in the battle stood alive and well with the exception of the Blue-Eyes.

"No… This can't be… CURSE YOU, YUGI! CURSE YOU!" screamed Kaiba from the top of his tower. He looked at his three Blue-Eyes cards and they all suddenly became blank. The Dragon was gone. Kaiba's most trusted monster was no longer a part of this world. Gandora dropped off Yugi atop Kaiba's tower before returning to his deck, as did all his other monsters which served in the fight. All of Yugi's friends recalled their monsters back to their decks as well.

"Kaiba, you have a lot to answer for. Now that you can't threaten me with your dragon any longer, I want you release Joey. He's not your slave, Kaiba. Where is he?" demanded Yugi.

"My dragon… Yugi, you will pay," swore Kaiba through his teeth in a voice somewhere between tears and hatred."

"Kaiba…" warned Yugi. At this moment, Kaiba pulled his gun out again, prepared to murder Yugi.

"Gilford the Lightning!" said a voice from behind. Yugi immediately recognized the voice as the great warrior appeared behind Kaiba and slashed him with his sword. Kaiba lay dying on the ground both from his new wound as well as his previous gunshot wound. Gilford the Lightning vanished as Joey Wheeler stepped on to the scene.

"Joey," whispered Yugi to himself. Joey paused for a moment as he looked in to the eyes of his greatest friend.

"Yugi, I want to apologize for everything I've done in the past few weeks. I owe all of you an apology, except for you, Kaiba," said Joey. He turned his head to the dying Seto, whom was laying on the ground in a state that was near death.

"My love," cried Kaiba as a tear fell from his eye.

"Not anymore, Seto," assured Joey as he walked over to Yugi and wrapped his arm around his shoulders.

"If I can't have you than no one can," screamed Seto as he reached for his gun and shot Joey in the shoulder.

"Joey!" cried Yugi as Joey screamed in agony. Kaiba lay laughing as Joey's shoulder began gushing blood. Like a waterfall, the crimson liquid stained Joey's clothing as he nearly lost control of his sanity, pleading for release.

"This building is unstable, thanks to the fight we endured tonight," laughed Kaiba. "You'll perish with me, surely."

"Not on your life, Kaiba," said Yugi as he held his arm over Joey's shoulder, supporting his redeemed friend. The building began to quake as all of its employees were seen on the ground below, evacuating. Kaiba lost grip of the gun, which flung feet away at the shake of the skyscraper. "Kaiba, look at yourself. You destroyed your own building. It was your Blue-Eyes' careless use of its power which brought destruction to this structure. You should be ashamed of yourself, Seto Kaiba," swore Yugi.

"Enough, this building will collapse in minutes and you will die with me!" screamed Kaiba.

"Yugi," called Mai, whom was sitting atop the Harpy's Pet Dragon, which was circling atop the tower. Rafael was on the back of it with Mai. Next to the dragon was Guardian Eatos. "You guys need to get off here!"

"We know," said Yugi.

"Yug, let me handle this. Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" struggled Joey as his dragon appeared. He and Yugi climbed atop of it and it flew them to the ground below. Stranded alone at the peak of his empire, Seto Kaiba uttered what seemed to be his final words before death claimed him as its own.

"Yugi, I will not be defeated," struggled the doomed CEO as the floor beneath him broke. At that moment, all light within Seto Kaiba's blue eyes vanished as his earthly body succumbed to the adverse pressure of death.

There, Red-Eyes Black Dragon met the Harpy's Pet Dragon, which let off Mai and Rafael. The two dragons and Guardian Eatos returned to their owners' decks, respectively. All the motorcycles were gone with the exception of three – the red, black, and blue. Tea, Rebecca, Duke, Tristan, and Bakura were nowhere to be seen and so, Yugi and the others assumed that they rode away to safety. Rafael sat upon his red bike and Mai her blue one and they rode off, leaving the KC grounds as Yugi placed a severely wounded Joey on the back of his black bike as he revved the engine.

"Joey, I'll save you," said Yugi as he rode away. Behind them, the KC HQ was collapsing and despite the storm of dust and rubble, Yugi sped away through the front gates as he safely made it on to the highway with Joey. Some of Kaiba Corp's jeeps began chasing Yugi, but the Dark Magician appeared from Yugi's deck and sent a wave of magic from his hands, pushing all of the jeeps backward. Dark Magician than returned to Yugi's deck. Police were beginning to gather at the scene, but Yugi evaded their sight. With the wind in his hair, he rode back to the junk yard where everyone had previously met. There, he found his friends waiting for him. Their motorcycles were parked some distance away from where they all stood in a circle, awaiting the King of Games. Once he was there, Yugi carried Joey's body to the others. He placed the near-dead body upon the ground and knelt beside it. "Joey… he tried to save me," cried Yugi, reluctantly yet hysterically.

"Yugi, thank you for helping me to see Kaiba's true colors," struggled Joey. "You'll always be… my very best friend, Yugi, No… matter what," said Joey as his eyes closed shut for he could say no more. Serenity, whom was standing next to Mai, sobbed in her arms. Mai, herself, was fighting back tears and so was Tea. Rebecca patted her on the back with sympathy. The only one whom seemed to be strong in this situation was Rafael, whom stood adamantly, but sorrow for Joey struck even his heart.

"We'll be friends forever, Joey… _No matter what_. _We are closer than brothers,_" promised Yugi, wholeheartedly.

"Joey, don't die!" shouted Tristan with watery eyes. Duke placed his hand upon his shoulder and frowned.

All were gathered around Joey, but only Yugi was on the ground with him, placidly running his hand through Joey's hair. Suddenly the scene was interrupted for Yugi's deck began glowing and the spirit of Dark Magician Girl appeared. She immediately captured everyone's attention.

"There is no need to cry," smiled Dark Magician Girl. "Your friend gave his life to defend my master, Yugi, and for that I will restore his health and he will remain alive," confirmed the blonde sorceress. She began chanting a spell and from her wand, came a ball of pink energy which floated in to Joey's chest. Instantly, his gunshot wound began to heal and within seconds, it was gone. He opened his eyes and stared into Yugi's – emerald to amethyst.

"Yugi," smiled Joey. Immediately, Yugi pulled himself down to Joey, hugging him.

"Joey, you're alright," confirmed Yugi. He turned his head to the Dark Magician Girl. "Thank you…"

"It was my pleasure," responded the magician. "I really must be going, but Yugi, I'll see you the next time you summon me in a duel," assured Dark Magician Girl before she disappeared.

"Yugi, I'm sorry I ever betrayed you. Kaiba blinded me with money and love," confessed Joey, ashamedly.

"I forgive you, Joey. We all do," said Yugi as he honestly spoke for all of the others. After moments of laying in Yugi's arms, Joey stood up only to be bombarded with hugs from all the others. For the rest of the night, Yugi, Joey and all the others rejoiced for their friendship.

MEANWHILE…

"He has to be here. I don't want any of you to stop searching until you find him," ordered Mokuba as he stood before the rubble of the collapsed Kaiba Corp HQ. In the destruction of the building, only one man was lost and that man was none other than Seto Kaiba. After some time, one of Mokuba's employees came with an alert.

"Mr. Kaiba, we've found your brother, but he's no longer alive."

"Where is he? Take me to him," commanded Mokuba. The man led him to Kaiba, whom was bloody and burnt. He was laying atop some rubble and when Mokuba saw him, tears filled his eyes. He crouched down next to the lifeless body of the former CEO of the Kaiba Corporation as his tears poured down upon Seto Kaiba's body. "Seto…" whimpered Mokuba. "Take him to hospital and get him the best medical treatment in the world. I don't care what we have to pay!" demanded Mokuba.

"Yes, sir," responded Rowland as paramedics rushed to the scene before laying Seto Kaiba's body upon a stretcher and carrying him off in to the night. Mokuba stood alone beside the rubble of the collapsed skyscraper, drowning in misery for the world that he knew had just ended and that world was Seto.

Back at Joey's apartment, everyone had gone home and only Yugi and Joey remained. They sat on Joey's couch, hugging one another in the dimly lit living room. For some time, the two of them remained silent as they appreciated one another, mentally. Yugi was the first to open his mouth and speak his mind.

"Joey, I'm so happy to have you back. I said it before and I'll say it again. You're my very best friend."

"Yugi, same here."

"Maybe tomorrow we can go up to the mountains and race our dragons. I'll ride Gandora and you'll ride Red-Eyes and we'll see whose dragon is faster," suggested Yugi.

"Sounds good to me," agreed Joey.

Little did Yugi know that in the realm of heaven, someone was watching him and that certain someone could not help but feel immense pride for him. Cloaked in the beautiful, white attire which was custom to the Egyptian pharaohs, Atem stood in silent thought.

"Yugi, you continue to impress me every single day with your kind heart. I know that your life will be extraordinary and I wish for you the best, but know that I until the day you die, I will be waiting here for you as I anticipate our reunion. Until then, I will always watch over you and, secretly, I will have my arms around you, guiding you, protecting you, and loving you, Yugi. Whenever you feel alone or frightened or angry, just remember that I will always be with you… forever."


	4. Chapter 4 - Change of Atmosphere

This chapter gets pretty dark and disturbing, but it's lighthearted at first. If you're someone who is easily scared by blood or psychotic criminals, this might not be for you.

The day after the destruction of the Kaiba Corporation HQ, Yugi and Joey lay on the couch in Joey's apartment. The earliest rays of sunlight broke through the window as Yugi awoke, laying against Joey. The two had fallen asleep together late that night. Joey was still asleep and showed no sign of waking up anytime soon and so Yugi simply sat there, staring at Joey and appreciating his friendship. In truth, Yugi needed Joey because he provided much solace and comfort to Yugi after the departure of Atem a few months prior. Now that Yugi was the world wide champion of Duel Monsters, life was bound to be hectic and unpredictable with frequent traveling, press conferences, autograph signings, interviews, and tournaments. Despite all that stress, Yugi loved it and was so thankful for it. As he said when Atem left, "My story's just beginning."

"Joey... I don't think that you'll ever realize how special you are to me," thought Yugi to himself. Yes, it was true that Yugi loved Atem romantically and he always would, but he loved Joey platonic ally. Atem was his romantic soul mate and the one whom he loved most of all, but Joey was his greatest friend and with Atem gone, Yugi intended to spend as much quality time with Joey as possible. Yugi looked at Joey's face, which expressed a smile, although he was asleep. Yugi knew just how grateful he was to have Joey back from Kaiba. Opening his eyes finally, Joey awoke.

"Yug? Hey, spiky head. So, how about that trip to the mountains we talked about? Maybe, we could have a icnic and than duel?"

"Yeah, Joey. Let's invite the gang and see if they are interested in going."

"Okay, I hope they're not mad at me."

"Joey, none of us are anymore. You're back with us and that's all that matters," smiled Yugi.

"Awe, really? Yugi, I'm so sorry. It's just that Kaiba blinded me so badly with all the money and his fancy mansion and... I just..."

"Let's not talk about it anymore, Joey. It's over now and he's gone. He won't hurt us ever again. He met defeat by his own hand and I bet he died with that same bitter state of mind he always had. I just feel bad for Mokuba. What does this mean for him?"

"I don't know..."

"Anyway, I'll text Tea and the others and see if they want to go," said Yugi as he did so. Joey was rather poor and didn't have much, but when he and Yugi went out to breakfast that morning, he insisted Yugi let him pay for their meals, despite the fact that Yugi had A LOT of money in his wallet from being the King of Games. Although the restaurant was relatively empty, those whom were in it immediately recognized Yugi and asked for an autograph and Yugi obliged happily.

That afternoon, Yugi and Joey met up with Duke and Tristan, whom drove in Tristan's car to a beautiful spot up in the mountains, which was located next to a flowing strea of crystal blue water. The site was surrounded by countless trees and birds could be heard chirping in them. Mai followed them to the site in her blue sports car. With her was Serenity, Tea, Rebecca, and Bakura. Everyone was happy and relieved for the first time in a while because of the events of the past few days.

When Tristan got out of his car, he walked over to the passenger side and opened the door, gently gripping Duke's hand and escorting him out. Duke than told Tristan to carry his hand bag.

After laying down a picnic blanket, Tea and Serenity happily lay out all the food. There was much wonderful cuisine and it included turkey sandwiches, potato salad, rice cakes, cooked noodles, a fruit tray, a salad with traditional Japanese dressing (to cater to Duke's strict vegetarian diet) and drinks like lemonade, iced tea, and water bottles.

Before everyone ate, Yugi and Joey agreed to have a duel than and there. They each took their respective place upon the dirt ground and readied their duel disks. Joey started the duel by going first.

"I set one card face down and play Baby Dragon in attack mode. I end my turn."

"I play Obnoxious Celtic Guardian," began Yugi. "and two cards face down. I attack your Baby Dragon and end my turn. Your life points drop to 3800."

"Ugh, I thought my face down card would scare him," thought Joey to himself. "I play Alligator's Sword in attack mode and I attack your Celtic Guardian. I end my turn."

Yugi, whose life points were now at 3900, looked at his hand with deep thought. "I set one monster face down and end my turn."

"I play Axe Raider and attack your face down monster!" declared Joey as the set monster flipped - it was Marshmallon. "Ugh, that little desert topping! I lose a thousand points for attacking it, damn!"

"And it can't be destroyed by battle while in defense mode," laughed Yugi.

"Your move, Yug."

"I play Mystical Space Typhoon and get rid of your one face down card!" began Yugi. The face down card was Grave Robber. "I than play Silver Fang in defense mode and place one card face down."

"I play the same card you just played, Yug - Mystical Space Typhoon. I use it on the set card you just threw down." Yugi's set card was Spellbinding Circle and Yugi grinded his teeth. "Than I play Red-Eyes Black Chick and I activate its special ability to sacrifice it and play Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" shouted Joey as the great dragon appeared on the field, roaring at Yugi and his two monsters. "But I'm not done yet because I activate the spell card, Inferno Fire Blast and use it on you. When Red-Eyes is on the field and I use that card, you lose 2400 life points, but I can;t attack with that monster this turn. That leaves your life points at 1500. Your move, Yug."

"Ugh, so I just lost most of my life points and he has that dragon on the field. This isn't good," thought Yugi to himself. "Heart of the cards, guide me," as Yugi drew his next card with faith. It was just what he needed. "Great, I play Silent Swordsman and than I play the spell card Turn Jump! It allows three turns worth of time to go by and that compliments my swordsman's special ability because he gains 500 attack points with ever passing turn and he is now up to 2500! I attack your Red-Eyes Black Dragon and you lose 100 life points!" shouted Yugi as the tall, muscular, and mysterious Silent Swordsman swept up and slashed the Red-Eyes with his mighty blade. "I end my turn."

"Ugh, so Yugi's got that bad ass knight on the field and that pink marshmallow thing, which can't be destroyed by battle. What am I supposed to do?" thought Joey to himself. "I set one card face down and I sacrifice my Alligator's Sword and I play Jinzo, but I play the spell card Amplifier, which is an equip card for him. It makes it so that I can still play traps, but you can't when Jinzo is on the field. His special ability destroys all traps, Yug, but thanks to Amplifier, I can still play them. The only downside is that if Amplifier is destroyed, Jinzo goes to the graveyard with it. I attack your Silver Fang with Jinzo! You can take things from here, Yug."

"I thought you might use Jinzo in this duel, but he's no match for my swordsman, who is now at 3000 attack points. Go Silent Swordsman, attack Jinzo!"

"Go Kunai With Chain!" shouted Joey as the trap card activated and sent a chain that wrapped around Silent Swordsman and switched it to defense mode. "I equip it to Jinzo and he gains 500 attack, haha! I than attack your Swordsman with Jinzo and end my turn."

"I just lost my best monster on the field, thanks to that trap card. Well, I'm not done yet," thought Yugi to himself. "I play the spell card, Card of Sanctity and you know what that means, we each draw six new cards. Because I drew it by card effect, i can special summon Watapon in defense mode and I than play Dark Magic Curtain! First, I must pay half my life points. Now, I call forth my most trusted monster, the Dark Magician!" asserted Yugi as the great red curtain appeared and from it, came the Dark Magician. At the sight of his appearance, Yugi felt nostalgic. "Mahad..." whispered Yugi to himself as the magician glanced back at him.

"My master, the pharaoh wishes for me to tell you how much he longs to see you again," said the Dark Magician.

"Tel him that I feel the same," said Yugi. "Now, I play the spell card, Thousand Knives, and it allows me to destroy one monster on your side of the field as long as the Dark Magician is on my field. Say goodbye to Jinzo!"

"Ugh, that's my best monster!" freaked Joey.

"I than attack your Axe Raider with Dark Magician and you lose 800 life points," declared Yugi. Joey's life pints were down to 1900 and he had no monsters left defending him. "It's your move, Joey."

"Oh boy, Yugi's got his favorite monster on the field and i got zip. Hey wait, I can play Skull Dice and than, yeah this might work," thought Joey to himself. "I set two cards face down and I play Goblin Attack Force with 2300 attack points! Yeah, baby! I than use Monster Reborn to bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and I end my turn.

"My move! I set one card face down," said Yugi as Joey stared, smiling. "I bet one of those traps will disable my Dark Magician somehow. It could be even more dangerous to leave those monsters on the field though, so I'm gonna need to attack," thought Yugi to himself. "Alright, first I set one face down card and than I play Emergency Provisions, which allows me to destroy one set card and gain 1000 life points for it. My life points go to 1750. Now, Dark Magician, attack Red-Eyes!"

"Not so fast, Yug! I activate my trap, Skull Dice. Whatever number the dice rolls, all your monster lose attack points equal to it times 100 and let's see..." The dice rolled on a three and the Dark Magician lost 300 life points, bringing it to 2200 and when it attacked Red-Eyes, which had 2400, it was destroyed and Yugi's life points were brought down to 550.

"Ugh," thought Yugi to himself. "At least I still have Marshmallon on the field..."

"I than activate Call of the Haunted to bring back my Axe Raider to my side of the field," said Joey. "My move yet?"

"Just go," said Yugi.

"Alright, I sacrifice Red-Eyes, Axe Raider, and Goblin Attack Force to summon Gilford the Lightning and his special ability activates, destroying all monsters on your side of the field and that includes Marshmallon! Now, Gilford the Lightning, end this duel!"

"Not so fast, Joey. I activate the trap card Mirage Ruler! I can only activate it whenever all of my monsters are destroyed in one turn. All of my monsters are returned to the field and than my life points are restored to whatever they were before the battle phase began. Than I must pay 1000 life points and I am down to 750 now."

Marshmallon reappeared on the field in defense mode and Gilford the Lightning struck it, costing Joey 1000 life points and bringing him down to 900. Joey flinched. He truly thought he was going to win, but Yugi never ceases to acheive victory.

"I end, Yug."

"Alright, it's my move!" declared Yugi. "I banish Dark Magician and Silent Swordsman from my graveyard to summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning." Instantly, the gates of chaos opened and the great warrior appeared from a ray of light and darkness that struck the ground. Cloaked in the black armor, the Black Luster Soldier appeared on the field, prepared to strike the enemy. "Now, Black Luster Soldier, attack Gilford the Lightning," and so it happened, Gilford was destroyed, but Yugi wasn't finished yet. "Now, Black Luster Soldier has a special ability, if it destroys a monster than I can attack with him twice and since you have no monsters to defend yourself, that brings your life points to zero!" asserted Yugi.

"I lost. I really thought I was gonna win this time," confessed Joey as Yugi walked towards him, hugging him and congratulating him.

"Joey, you did so great. I'm proud of you. You really almost beat me."

"Awe, I don't think I'll ever beat you, Yug," smiled a content Joey.

On the sidelines, the others sat where the food was layed. Bakura was devouring a sandwich; Duke was using a nail filer to file his nails as a half-eaten bowl of salad sat before him; Tristan, whom was stuffing a sandwich in his face watched Duke obsessively; Mai sat in fierce observance of the just-completed duel and she had her arm around her girlfriend, Serenity, whom was snacking on a rice cake; Rebecca was munching on potato chips and like Mai, was in fierce observation of the just-finished duel; Tea was snacking on the fruit salad.

Yugi and Joey went over to the others and sat down to help themselves to food. It was the begining of a wonderful day full of adventure and joy. Joey and Tristan played friesbee, but when Mai joined the game, she kicked both their butts. Serenity cheered for her girlfriend with glee. Than everyone went hiking, but had to stop for a moment because Duke broke a nail and nearly smacked Tristan when he tried to carry Duke, assuring him that he was FINE and did not need Tristan to constantly cater to him; everyone laughed. Rebecca seemed to domesticate a squirrel. She knew the squirrel was safe to touch because of facts she learned in her science class. Duke and Serenity thought the squirrel was cute, but Rebecca released the squirrel back in to the wild because she knew that's where it belonged. Everyone swam in a beautiful lake and it was a blast. Finally, they had a cookout at the end of the day as the sun was setting over the mountains. It was the best day that all of them had had in a while and the greatest aspect of it was that Joey was back and he wasn't going to leave.

At the bonfire, Tea couldn't help but mention her concern for what was to become of Mokuba after Kaiba's apparent death. Yugi almost felt gulty for taking part in Kaiba's utter demise, but it was for the sake of his own life and Joey's.

"Kaiba had it coming," said Mai. "He tried to kill Yugi and Yugi defended himself and Joey saw the light."

"I know, but i can't help but feel bad for Mokuba. I mean, his company, it's destroyed and the only family he had is now dead. The poor kid must be a wreck, especially since he and Kaiba were on such bad terms last night," vented Tea.

"Well, Mokuba's a tough kid. He'll pull through," said Joey. "When I was with Seto, Seto really shoved Mokuba aside and I could tell Mokuba was hurt, but Mokuba's not as frail and fragile as you all might think. He'll be fine. He has billions and billions."

"Yeah, you're right, I guess," agreed Tea.

That night, before going to bed, Tea packed everything away in her car except for the tents as they all planned on leaving first thing in the morning. Everyone slept in their own tent. Tea and Rebecca; Mai and Serenity; Tristan and Due; Yugi and Joey; and Bakura had his own tent. As darkness was settled across the land, a strange noise could be heard outside the campsite and it wasn't a typical sound found in nature. Duke was the first to hear it, because he was awokened by the constant sound of Trisitan's snoring. In their own respective tents, the others came to here it too.

"Joey," whispered Yugi as he shook a sleeping Joey.

"Yeah?"

"Listen. Do you hear that?"

"I do. What is it?"

"I don't know, but it sounds like someone moaning. I don't think any of us were sick before we went to bed." The moaning grew louder and Yugi, with his deck on his belt, got up and unzipped the tent.

"Hey, Yug. Don't go out there. You don't know what's out there."

"Joey, someone could be in trouble."

"Ugh," said Joey as he got up and followed Yugi.

In their tent, Mai told Serenity to wait there while she went to see what was wrong and Yugi and Joey found her standing by the unlit campfire.

"Mai, do you hear that noise? Who could it be?" asked Yugi.

"I don't know. I told Serenity to wait in the tent. I don't like the sound of this. Maybe we should get outta here. It could be some psychopath who lives in the woods that wants to kill anyone who comes nar his territory."

"Or it could be someone who is hurt and needs help," suggested Yugi.

"You have a point there," sighed Mai. "Alright, I have my flashlight here. Let's go look in the trees."

"Guys," interjected Serenity's voice as she left the tent. "I'm going with you. If something happens to any of you, I could never live with myself."

"Alright, but stay close. I have a bad feeling about this," said Mai.

The four of them walked deep in to the trees, careful not to forget their path, as they searched for the mysterious noise. The sounds of the forest echoed in the night as they delved farther in to the wilderness. Mai shone her flashlight on something completely unexpected. Hanging from high branch on a tree was what looked to be a rope with the know set as if someone was going to be hanged there. Fear crept up the spines of all four of them as thoughts of psychopathic lunatics entered their mind. Who had been here? What had they done? Why was this rope positioned here? Were they still here?

"That's creepy as hell," said Joey.

"You're tellin' me," responded Mai.

"This is like one of those scary movies where there's some crazy person who lives deep in the mountains and some innocent kids go camping and they all start vanishing cuz the killer is hunting them down one by one until the lat kid remains and it's usually the funny guy, like me, and than BAM! He's dead and the killer laughs and waits for more innocent people to walking in to the forest at night!" gasped Joey.

"Joey, let's not jump to conclusions," said Mai. "Hmm, I suppose this could have been here for a very long time, maybe even since World War II. Who knows?" speculated Mai. The moaning suddenly got more intense and almost turned in to screaming.

"What is that?" shrieked Serenity.

"I don't like this at all," said Yugi as the screaming suddenly returned to a dramatic moaning-esque noise.

Although, the moaning sound was still far away , the four of them saw a ray of light swing through the trees. Mai, startled, turned off her flashlight and whispered to the others to keep quiet. The strange light vanished and after taking a few steps forward, Mai turned on her flashlight to see a face in the darkness right before her. The four of them screamed, but they were accompanied by four other screams. The strange light reappeared again and Tea, Rebecca, Tristan, and Duke stood before them.

"WHAT THE HELL?" shouted Joey.

"What are you guys doing here?" demanded Rebecca.

"We heard someone out in the woods and thought we should check it out," said Mai.

"So did we," said Tea, whom was holding the flashlight which emitted the "mysterious" light previously seen by Mai, Yugi, Joey, and Serenity.

"So, you're the face I just saw, Tea?"

"Yeah..."

"Well than, what about that strange noise we heard earlier? I can't hear it anymore," asked Mai. Mai shone her flashlight against the trees and a disturbing image was illuminated. It was a dead snake with blood dripping from it, hanging from a branch on a tree. On the tree next to it was the same exact sight. Strange carvings which looked like Egyptian hieroglyphics were carved in to the skin of the two snakes. Tea shrieked.

"What the!"

"It's almost as if someone hung them there," said Rebecca.

"I bet someone did. Look at those symbols on their flesh," said Yugi. "Someone had to of carved those. And the blood that's dripping from them, it's fresh. I don't like this." Yugi ran his hand through his hair, as he apprehensively glanced around the infinite darkness, which surrounded them like a lunar sea. He was expecting something to jump out of it attack all of them, but to his great surprise, nothing of the sort did... yet.

"Look at all those trees. It's like someone carved in to them and snapped branches off," said an observant Tea, whom noticed that many of the trees around them bore strange carvings, some of which resembled Egyptian hieroglyphics, and others indicated pure madness and violence on the part of the one whom made them. What kind of terrible creature could be lurking in these woods? Only time would tell for there was no sign of the presence of anything of the sort, despite the hellish carving and mutilated snakes already within the area.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard in the dark and everyone turned to the direction they were coming from. Frightened as all hell, Mai was the one brave enough to call out to the mysterious stranger.

"Who are you? Show yourself!"

"It's me, Mai," came Bakura's voice from the pitch blackness.

"Bakura?" called out everyone at once.

"Yeah, I heard something and it sounded like someone needed help, so I went looking, but I haven't found anything."

"Do you know anything about that?" asked Mai as she pointed the flashlight to the two snakes.

"Well that's quite disturbing and no, I don't."

"Bakura, you're sure that your evil alter-ego is gone for good, right?" asked Tristan.

"Yes, why, I haven't felt or seen him since Yugi and the pharaoh destroyed him last spring."

"Well, what should we do now? Maybe just go back to the campsite?" suggested Yugi.

"You spoke too soon," said Mai after the strange moaning started once again.

"I'm scared, Mai," shivered Serenity.

"This is odd. Who would be out here this late at night in the middle of nowhere?" asked Duke.

"Guys, it's coming from that way," said Yugi as he pointed to the east.

The gang walked for a short while until the moaning became louder and louder. They all knew they were close to it. Deeper and deeper in to the trees they went and the haunting summer wind swept across their bodies, chilling their spines. They came to a clearing in the forest and it was blatant that whomever or whatever it was that as making that sound was right before their very eyes. Cloaked in darkness, the moaning turned to whimpering and Mai and Tea pointed the flashlight at the "person," whom was crouched in a fettle-like position upon the ground. Puddles of a red liquid were scattered across the ground as the carcasses of dead snakes lay in random spots of the clearing. The smell of blood plagued the air as everyone took note that the creature was laying in a puddle of the red liquid, which they all determined to be blood.

"Hello?" said Tea.

Instantly, the whimpering stopped and the being slowly turned around before abrasively jumping at the gang. Its body was hideous and covered in scars, which seemed to be spelling out hieroglyphic messages upon the broken skin, but its wild, blonde hair could not mask its face. It looked like Yami Marik. The body, itself, was frail and ill-looking. The creature ground its teeth and reached out to claw Tea, whom jumped away just in time. Everyone caught a glance of its piercing, yellow eyes, which shone in the light from the flashlights. Yugi could have sworn it was Yami Marik, but before he could confirm his suspicions, everyone screamed and ran backwards, panting and racing to the campsite and unaware about whether that thing was following them. Yugi knew that face, but it couldn't have been what he suspected because Yami Marik was sealed away in the Shadow Realm. How could he have escaped?

Everyone was back at the campsite and all were panicking.

"What the hell was that thing!" asked Joey, whom seemed relatively traumatized by the encounter with that thing.

"I don't know," shrieked Tea, whom sounded as if she was about to cry. Unknown to her, everyone else felt the same way on the inside.

"It looked like Yami Marik," alerted Yugi.

"Come to think of it, it did," said Mai. "I thought that psychopath got sent to the Shadow Realm and wasn't coming back. Well, he must have found some way back, assusing that was him," said Yugi.

"Guys, I think we need to get out of here right now," said Tea. "That thing could be dangerous. Let's pack up the tents and leave. Everything else is already in the cars. What if that thing comes here and tries to get us while we're sleeping. We can't stay here. It's dangerous!"

"Agreed," said Duke.

"Let's get outta here," said Mai.

In a rush, everyone packed up everything in to the cars and rode off. Along the way, everyone swore that they saw the creature in multiple places, standing in the trees and watching them drive away. Duke claimed he saw it standing on the right side of the road, laughing as if it were dying, but Tea claimed she saw it on the right side of the road, glaring with a malefic stare upon its demonic face. The others all claimed they witnessed sight of it too, but in different places with different expressions. The crescent moon hung high in the sky and each and everyone of them had a heart that was beating rapidly, almost as if it were going to leap out of their respective owner's chest, and cause them to die from lack of a cardiovascular muscle. Once they reached the boundaries of Domino City, Yugi invited all of them to his house.

At the Kame Game Shop, Yugi unlocked the door to the upstairs living quarters and everyone took a seat in his living room. Startled and disturbed, it took a while for anyone to speak. Duke broke the silence.

"I think we'd better call the police. That thing could hurt someone."

"I bet it's what killed those snakes and feasted on their blood," said Rebecca.

"Probably," said Mai.

"I don't think we should go back there ever again," said Tristan.

"We might have to if no one catches that thing," said Yugi.

"It was like a person, but it wasn't a person. It looked like it was half demon or something," said Bakura.

"I don't know how he's back, assuming it is Yami Marik," said Yugi. "If it is him, he must be in a weaked state. That would explain why his body is so mutilated and frail-looking. I think all of you should stay here tonight. It's too dangerous for any of you to go home. I doubt it followed us in to the city, but you never know."

Yugi locked every door and window in the house and brought out a bunch of pillows and blankets for his friends, whom slept in the living room. He allowed everyone to take turns using the shower if they so desired to. Once showered, Yugi invited Joey in to his own bedroom. He lay in his bed and Joey on the floor, as the two of them talked about the night; going on and on about the horrifying encounter with that creature.

"Joey, whatever that thing was, it can't be good."

"I know, Yug. I just hope its not gonna follow us here... if it hasn't already."

"Don't even put those images in my mind, please," replied Yugi as an awkward and terrifying silence drowned the room. "I don't even want to imagine that. He's probably still up there in the mountains somewhere. Hopefully he can't make it to the city. He looked so weak. I doubt he could, but than again, he apparently killed all those snakes and damaged all those trees. I don't know."

"Yugi, let's get some sleep and we'll figure things out in the morning. For now, I don't think there's anything we can really do but be cautious," replied Joey.

"Yeah, you're right, Joey. Let's get some sleep."

Everyone eventually fell asleep, but not one of them could exile from their mind the draconian and terrible image of what they all had seen that night. No one went to sleep peacefully on that night for it was a night when terror dominated over every single one of their souls, constantly awakening a fear for the unknown within all of them. The thought of encountering that thing again was enough to chill the bone, let alone the soul. Sweet dreams were currently out of the question for the night and that was something blatant to all of them. Suddenly, the darkness and nighttime became so much scarier than it used to be...

In a very old graveyard, deep in the mountains, the very creature which so terribly frightened Yugi and his friends, sat upon a gravestone laughing maniacally. It's laugh screamed psychotic in the night and it contemplated its potential vendetta upon the one whom helped to seal it away in the Shadow Realm. But now that that seal was broken, it would surely stop at nothing before descending in to the life of the one it loathed and evoking a nightmare within the said one's life. The creature laughed and danced under the light of the crescent moon, spitting on the ancient graves of those whom it danced upon. For it, insanity was sheer bliss. Damned while ostensibly divine, the creature indulged in its own lunacy while screaming obscenities in to the night.


	5. Chapter 5 - The Nature of Evil

Warning: This chapter is really dark and disturbing. Contains refernces to physical abuse and necrophyllia (I wanted to show how much of a psychopath Yami Marik really is)

That morning, everyone awoke, but fear still lingered within all of their minds. Yugi did his best to bring solace to all of his friends, but such a thing seemed impossible after the events of the night. He served breakfast to everyone and they all were grateful.

By noon, the only one whom remained at he Kame Game Shop with Yugi was Joey. He sat on Yugi's bed as Yugi paced back and forth through his room, contemplating possible scenarios for as t why Yami Marik could have returned.

"I think I should call Ishizu and Marik and warn them," confessed Yugi.

"Yeah, but I wonder what he's after."

Upon hearing this, Yugi looked rather uneasy and his eyes expressed a sense of apprehension, indicating that something nerve wrecking was on his mind.

"Well, I might have an idea of what he's after. I mean, last time he was here, he wanted the millennium puzzle, but since all the items are at the bottom of an abyss in Egypt, buried forever from when the pharaoh left, what's the only other thing I have that he could possibly want?"

Joey looked puzzled as he stared blankly at Yugi. Yugi sighed and took a key from a special hiding place under his dresser and in it's bottom drawer, he removed a box and used the key to unlock it. Curious, Joey jumped to the box, wondering what possibly could be inside. To his astonishment, in it were the three Egyptian god cards. Yugi stared at them, not knowing what to think.

"Yug, you never did use them in Battle City V3. I just thought maybe you didn't draw them, but… Why aren't they in your deck?"

"Because for four years, the pharaoh and I built an amazing deck together, comprising of some of the best monsters we ever collected as well as other personal favorites. That deck evolved over the course of those four years. First, it started with my grandpa's deck that he gave to me. Those were the cards I used in Duelist Kingdom. Cards like Dark Magician, Gaia, Summoned Skull, Celtic Guardian, Kuriboh… And than there was the deck we used during the first Battle City and it was almost a completely different deck from the one I used in Duelist Kingdom. I filled it with completely new monsters like Buster Blader, Dark Magician Girl, the magnet warriors, Big Shield Gardna, Gazelle, Berfomet… and the gods. The only monsters from my Duelist Kingdom deck that I really carried over to that deck were Dark Magician and Kuriboh. Finally, when we went to Egypt in the spring to help the pharaoh recover his lost memories, I got my own personal deck, which was something totally separate from the pharaoh. In it were cards like Silent Magician, Silent Swordsman, Marshmallon, Gandora, the gadgets…In the world of the ancient past when I dueled Bakura and I was without a deck at the moment, the spirits of those monsters gave themselves to me, claiming they were meant to be mine all along.

And than when the pharaoh and I dueled in the ceremonial duel to determine the fate of his spirit, we each built from that great collection of cards a personal deck, which we would use against one another in the final duel. I never told him about my new deck that I got in the ancient past because I felt those cards were meant for me, not him. Sure, I added other cards to it, cards from the Battle City and Duelist Kingdom decks like Summoned Skull, Curse of Dragon, Buster Blader, the magnet warriors, Watapon… but I allowed him to use what was basically the Battle City deck, excluding the few cards I took from it like the magnet warriors and Buster Blader. In his deck was the gods. I didn't want to use them. Sure, I knew they were powerful and almost unbeatable, but I felt that he needed to use them so I could prove my own maturity by beating them, and when I did beat him and set his spirit free, he gave me back the deck he used in the final duel and with it, the gods.

When I arrived home and we were about to graduate high school and than Kaiba announced Battle City V3, I looked at the two decks and thought heavily about what I wanted to do with the pharaoh's deck. I considered storing it away and using the deck I used as my new permanent deck, but I couldn't bare the thought of dueling without some of the monsters in the pharaoh's deck like Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl and so I combined the two decks and that is what my current deck is - it's mostly my personal deck, but with additions from the pharaoh's deck like the magicians and Gazelle and Berfomet. When it came time to decide whether or not to put the gods in my deck, I decided not to because I wanted to prove that I could win without them and that's why I didn't use them in Battle City V3 and also, I feared that they could potentially hurt someone like the Winged Dragon of Ra did to you when you dueled Marik in the first Battle City, Joey. That's why I locked away the gods in this box in the bottom drawer of my dresser, but now, I suddenly don't think they're safe here anymore," finished Yugi.

"So are you gonna put them back in your deck?" asked Joey.

"I think I have to," replied Yugi.

Joey's mouth dropped upon hearing the truth of why Yugi didn't use the gods these days.

"They're dangerous Joey and they give me such an advantage over anyone I duel. That's why I prefer not to use the gods. I think they're more trouble than they're worth, but now that Yami Marik is back, I can't leave them here. I have to take them with me," said Yugi as he placed the gods in to his deck.

"Just don't use them in a duel if you think they're that dangerous, Yug."

"I know. That's what I plan on doing."

Yugi and Joey spent the entire day together and it was wonderful. When evening came, Yugi received an urgent call on his cell phone from Tea.

"Yugi, Mokuba's been captured and it's all over the news. He was n a meeting with Kaiba Corp. executives and some black mass of energy just broke through the window, snatched Mokuba, and dragged him somewhere!"

"Tea, where are you?"

"I'm at my house."

"Stay there. This could be dangerous."

Joey looked at Yugi with grave concern and just he was about to ask him what exactly was wrong, Yugi hung up the phone and immediately spoke.

"Yami Marik's got Mokuba and he's taken him somewhere. I don't know where."

"Maybe back up to those woods?"

"Maybe, but we have to do something."

"Like what?" asked Joey.

"We have to find Mokuba. I'm calling Ishizu and Marik. They might still be in town. I think that Marik is actualy planning on moving here because he's fallen in love with Bakura," said Yugi.

After talking to Ishizu, she and Marik agreed to meet Yugi in the park to discuss the state of the current circumstances.

Meanwhile, in the forgotten cemetery deep in the mountains, Mokuba lay, chained to a tombstone as tears fell down his face. The dirt ground upon which he lay was rugged and brisk, failing to cushion his shaking body as he succumbed to the realization of the surrounding scenery. Centuries old graves were scattered across the clearing and an endless amount of tall trees surrounded the graveyard. Some of the tombstones were broken or cracked and almost all of them were so weathered that the names and dates upon them were illegible to the human eye. Brush and overgrowth covered parts of the graveyard and a few trees grew within it, forcing one to rightfully perceive that the place no longer served a purpose to society for ostensibly no one had been here for ages. The ground was so uneven that after years upon years of the elements abrading away the landscape, some edges of old coffins stuck out from the weathered ground. The entire graveyard itself seemed to be about half the size of a football field. In it's very center was what appeared to be a shrine. There was what appeared to be a podium with a stone bowl cemented on to it and it was surrounded by pillars and it was obvious that it was meant for some kind of dark ritual. Mokuba whimpered for his beloved big brother Seto, but it was obvious that Seto was not coming…

In the park, Yugi and Joey met Ishizu, Odion, and Marik, whom were sitting on a bench. They all looked frightened and worried. Most of all was Marik, whose face expressed dire trepidation beyond those of his siblings.

"Yugi, please explain to me again what all is going on," requested Ishizu.

"Well, last night when we went camping, we heard whimpering in the forest at night and so we went to see who it was and we found what looked to be like a very weak and frail Yami Marik laying on the forest floor and he tried to attack u, but we ran away and left. Today, Mokuba Kaiba has been captured by some strange force. He was in a meeting with Kaiba Corporation personnel and some black mist broke thought he window and snatched him and dragged him somewhere."  
"It is him," admitted Marik in a very trained voice. "He's come back somehow, but I don't know how. I thought the pharaoh and you sealed him away, Yugi."

"I thought we did too, but I guess he's somehow escaped the Shadow Realm. I don't even know where he is. My guess is somewhere in those woods"

"But if he's captured Mokuba than that means he's been to the city and if he is capable of venturing this far, who knows where he could be?" interrupted Odion.

"I don't know what to say," stuttered Ishizu. "First, we need to find him, but where do we begin?"

"Those woods. It's the best place to start looking," suggested Yugi.

"Let's go than, Yug!" exclaimed Joey.

"Alright, but I don't want the others involved because it's just too dangerous," said Yugi.

"Too late," came a familiar voice from behind. It was Rebecca and she had her arms crossed upon her chest. Tea, Bakura, Duke, Mai, and Tristan were with her."

"You guys?" exclaimed Yugi.

"Where's Serenity?" asked Joey.

"I told her to wait at home. I didn't want her risking getting hurt on this rescue mission of our's," said Mai.

"Yeah, and we're gonna help save Mokuba and kick some demon ass!" asserted Rebecca as she held up her fist.

"Well, I'm flattered, but I don't know if this is safe and you're all putting yourselves at risk," said Yugi.

"Like we haven't before?" asked Tea.

"Well… alright, but you all have to promise to be careful and if tell you to go home and you need to oblige," conditioned Yugi.

"Whatever," said Mai.

"Alright, so we'll need to make our way back to the mountains and than we'll have to search those woods for Mokuba.," said Yugi.

At the entrance to the woods, Tea and Mai parked their cars and the gang set off, exploring the wilderness and looking for Mokuba, but no one seemed to be able to find him. They called out his name as they searched through the endless woods, holding on to hope that he would respond, but to no avail, he did not. Everyone felt as though they were constantly being watched and came to expect the creature to turn up from within the woods somewhere. Shadows lingered to the eyes of the travelers, whom seemed to have lost hope that Mokuba was anywhere near them. In the woods, they found a wooden cabin, which looked very old and worn. The door, which was unlocked, sat in place before them as they debated about whether or not to enter the thing.

"He could be in there, guys," said Yugi.

"I don't know. What if it's a trap?" asked Duke.

"What if it's no?" replied Yugi as they turned the door knob with caution.

Inside the dark cabin, many cob webs degraded the rooms and there seemed to be a stench which reeked with foul odor. In the main room, there was a couch and an old arm chair, which were dusty and filthy-looking. What was most disturbing was that their were snake carcasses in various places around the room, seeming to indicate that this was in fact a lair of Yami Marik. Yugi and Joey pushed forward and found a door that led to a bedroom and on the old bed, a skeleton covered in dirt, was chained up.

"Agh!" Shrieked everyone at once and they all went running out of the room, slamming the door.

"What was that in there!" freaked Joey.

"Someone must be in to necrophilia," answered Mai in a tone of bewilderment.

"Well, if this is his hideout, he's obviously not here now," said Rebecca.

""Yeah, he's probably outside hunting more snakes so he can eat their flesh and bathe in their blood," answered Duke disgustedly.

"Let's get out of here," said Mai.

"It doesn't really look like there is anything of serious use to us in here anyway," said Yugi.

Everyone left the cabin with relief. They found nothing in there and continued to search through the woods as the thick, grey clouds appeared overhead. Once they came to a pond, they saw a strange dark mist floating above it and from the grey sky, storm clouds began to form over the forest, setting the stage for something sinister.

"That mist," said Yugi.

"What is it," asked Tea.

"I have a bad feeling that something horrible is about to happen," admitted Yugi.

"How right you are," came a terrifying voice form nowhere. Yugi knew that voice - it was Yami Marik. "It seems that you all have fallen in to my trap. Now, watch as the darkness will enslave your souls," laughed Yami Marik.

Instantly, the darkness exploded in all directions and from it, tentacles of black energy swooped out and wrapped around Tea, Tristan, and Marik. Screaming, the three of them were levitated in to the air and suspended above the pond. The once placid water of the pond blackened under the influence of pure evil as Yami Marik laughed maniacally, preparing to give Yugi an ultimatum.

"I see you've found my house. Well, it's not like I need that place, but oh well… Your friends will die, Yugi. My energy will choke the life out of them until there is nothing left and than I will enchant their corpses to become undead servants whom will do my bidding for me. Let me ask you, Yugi, what do you think I want from you? If you give it to me than I may just let them go."

Yugi struggled and gritted his teeth before he opened his mouth to speak.

"The three Egyptian god cards."

"Not exactly, child. You see, I only want one of the three Egyptian god cards and which one do you think it is? I'll give you a hint. It's the one you took from me in our duel. Remember?"

"You want the Winged Dragon of Ra."

"Yes for you see, I don't give one care about the other two."

"Well, I don't have them anymore. When the pharaoh went back to the afterlife, he took all three of them with him," lied Yugi.

"Don't lie to me!" screamed Yami Marik, whom was still nowhere to be seen. "I know you have them right there in your deck. Now, if you want to see your friends be saved than I suggest you give me that card."

A tentacle of black energy stretched out to Yugi and remained still as if it wanted Yugi to place Ra on top of it.

"Don't, Yugi," shouted Tea.

"SILENCE!" screamed the voice of Yami Marik as the tentacle tightened around Tea and she began gasping for breath as all the color in her face began to drain.

"What's it going to be, Yugi?"

"I can't let him kill Tea and the others," said Yugi, whom took Ra out of his deck. Everyone gasped as Yugi took a step forward. "And just what do you plan to do with his card when you have it?"

"I plan to use it for my own selfish desires!" laughed Yami Marik as the black tentacle snatched Ra out of Yugi's hand before Yugi even agreed to hand it over.

"Ugh!" shrieked Yugi as the tentacles instantly disappeared and his three friends were dropped in to the water below. Tea screamed and the three of were dampened and covered in pond residue as they struggled to make it to the land.

"Yugi, how could you give him that card?" demanded Marik, whom understood the nature of that evil spirit far more than any of them.

"Your lives were at stake," asserted Yugi as his voice began to break.

"He's unpredictable," said Marik about his former alter-ego. "I spent years fearing him and I don't know just what he's planning, but I can assure you that whatever it is, it's definitely not good. We all are in grave danger."

"Yami Marik," screamed Yugi! "Where's Mokuba? Tell us where he is! You've got what you wanted!"

"Don't worry. Your little friend is with me. I'll take good care of him while he's here. Until then, I suggest all of you go home until I'm ready to face all of you with my powers. And by the way, call me Malik!"

"Okay, Malik! Tell us where Mokuba is," demanded Mai.

Meanwhile, in the graveyard,, Mokuba's voice could be heard across the landscape. He was crying and begging for Seto.

"Please don't hurt me! I want Seto! Agh!"

Malik stood over Mokuba, whom was bleeding from his arms. The demonic creature, wearing a black cloak, smiled in a twisted manner and bent down to his capture. Mokuba, crying and scared for his life, stared in to the eyes of evil.

"I'm going to keep you here, boy, and they'll never stop looking for you, but I know that they won't find you because I'll make sure of it. Than, when I am done torturing you, I will kill you and I will use your skeleton for my own selfish desires, my boy. I know you want your big brother, but there's no need to worry because you have me," said Malik as he licked Mokuba's face. Mokuba twitched as more tears formed in his eyes.

"Seto…"

"Seto's not coming! So quit crying for him, child! I'm your big brother now," laughed Malik before he smacked Mokuba's side and shoved him against the tombstone he was chained to."

Mokuba began to cry hysterically as Yami Marik watched in utter delight. He noticed a spider which was crawling upon the ground and picked it up, throwing it on Mokuba's face.

"Tonight, when I return to my cabin to rest, I will leave you here and you can wait alone in this graveyard. Well, I shouldn't say you'll be alone because you'll have the ghosts to keep you company. Maybe they'll even possess you, child," laughed Malik

"Your friends won't ever find you. You belong to me now, child. I'll take good, good care of you and don't ever think that I won't," taunted Malik as he kicked Mokuba's side.

Immediately, Mokuba imagined himself in Seto's arms. Seto was holding him and running his hand through Mokuba's long, black hair. They were home in the Kaiba mansion and Mokuba felt safe, but he knew that this would never again happen because Seto was d… dead.

"Mokuba, I'll never let anyone hurt you," said Seto.

"Thanks, big brother," whimpered Mokuba as he buried his head in to his big brother's chest before looking at Seto's face again. Seto's warm smile became twisted and he transfigured in to Malik, whom began laughing in his signature psychotic manner. Mokuba screamed as if his lungs were going to explode and the peaceful vision ended. Against the tombstone, Mokuba sobbed and shrieked as Malik closed in on him with terror in his eyes.

"I'll be your big brother now! Hahahaha!"

"SETO!"

Yugi and his friends searched for the remainder of the day, but could find nothing in the forest. It was so wide and vast that even a week's worth of searching could produce zero results. Tea, with tears in her eyes, sobbed for Mokuba as she tried to imagine the horror of the situation in which he was living. She broke, unable to handle the pressure any longer.

"I can't take this anymore. Poor Mokuba's probably so scared and sick. He's already torn over Seto and now he's about to lose his own life," cried Tea. Rebecca put her arm on her shoulder to console her girlfriend.

"Tea, Mokuba's gotta be tough and he'll stick it out and survive whatever hell he's in. and in the meantime, we've gotta be strong too so that we can find him and bring him back home," assured Rebecca.

"It's just not fair. He wasn't even a part of it and Yami Marik just forced him in to this whole thing," sobbed Tea as she dried her eyes.

Around the beginning of the night, the search as called off. Dusk had already fallen over the land and it would be impossible to find someone in this forest in all the sheet darkness. The gang drove home, reluctantly leaving Mokuba to the mercy of the psychopath who enslaved him. Everyone went to their respective homes, but Yugi asked Joey to spend the night at his house once again.

"Joey, I can't believe this. It just doesn't make sense. How could Mokuba be involved in all this?" worried Yugi. Joey, whom was sitting on the couch in his old jeans and wrinkled, blue t-shirt looked at Yugi with sadness.

"I don't know, Yug. When I was with Kaiba, Mokuba kept to himself most of the time. Well, he did when I was around, but than when I wasn't he clung to Kaiba like he was his life. I couldn't really understand it. I always thought Mokuba was more independent than that, but I don't know."

"Well, sitting around and talking about it isn't going to fix anything, Joey. We need some kind of lead, but we don't really have any. I mean, the cabin, but it's not like Malik needs that place. I mean, other than using it as a place to sleep or as a place to store his meals, I don't think he really relies on it too much."

"What if we snuck up on him in his sleep?" asked Joey.

"I feel like he might know we're coming," replied Yugi.

"It's worth a shot though. Maybe we could kill him in his sleep and steal back your Egyptian god card."

"I've been so worried about everything he could potentially do that I almost forgot about that. Jeez, I hope nothing too bad happens."

"Let's go tonight, Yug. Come on! I think maybe we should bring Marik with us. He's the only one who knows how to deal with that psychopath. They shared a brain for how many years?"

"I don't know if we should involve him or not, Joey. What if Malik did something terrible to him or re-possessed him or something. I just don't know if that's a good idea to involve him after everything he went through when he was younger," confessed Yugi.

"Well…"

Yugi's phone rang and it was Tea. She was concerned.

"Yugi, turn on the news."

Yugi obliged and on the headlines was something both relieving yet disturbing. A black mist had filled the main square of Domino City and Mokuba was hanging from a street light, suspended in mid-air as anyone who tried to go near him was pushed away by the black mist.

"Joey, let's go, Be right there, Tea," said Yugi as he hung up and he and Joey raced downtown.

He met up with Tea and the gang, whom were gathered along the sidelines of the mist as Mokuba hung from the broken street light. The voice of Malik echoed across the air.

"I've reconsidered my plans, Yugi. I think I will let Mokuba go on the condition that you come to face me in a duel, but don't think it will be easy because it won't be," warned Malik.

"Fine, Malik. I'll face you. Just let Mokuba go!"

"Okay," and instantly, the black tentacle that hung Mokuba from the street light disappeared and the poor boy fell some twenty feet to the concrete below as the black mist disappeared. Tea ran to Mokuba's side and felt his pulse. He could barely speak and uttered simple words and it was blatant that it was such a struggle to say anything at all.

"Malik… he kept me in a really old… graveyard in the mountains. He tortured me… all day" He has Ra, but I think he's going to use it in some weird ritual. I'm sorry I couldn't stop… him," struggled Mokuba.

"Don't be sorry, Mokuba. It's not your fault," consoled Tea.

It was lucid to Yugi what had to be done. He had to face Malik tonight and there was no way around it.

"Where is this graveyard, Mokuba?" asked Yugi.

"I don't know. It's really deep in the woods up in those mountains and it's really old."

"Well, I'm goin' with ya, Yug," assured Joey. Yugi nodded and took Joey's hand in a clench.

"Tonight, we're gonna save the world," said Yugi as he looked in to Joey's eyes. "Tea, look after Mokuba and make sure that he's alright.

"Just be careful," pleaded Tea.

"Alright than, Joey, let's go," asserted Yugi.

The two of them instantly vanished and warped to a strange place. It was pitch black, but suddenly, torches lit and the two knew exactly where they were. They were in the ancient graveyard which Mokuba spoke of. An eerie feeling plagued their senses. That feelings made known the presence of true evil in that place. Together, the two of them, would fight to save the world.

"Joey, he has to be here," said Yugi sententiously.

"I know, but where?" asked Joey as the two began to walk around the graveyard, unaware of the precise location of their adversary. Suddenly, laughing was heard and it was Malik. Joey and Yugi turned their heads to an alter of sorts, where Malik stood in his long, black cloak. He began chanting something and than took a knife and cut open a wound upon his arm; blood fell in to a stone bowl atop the podium. He held up the Winged Dragon of Ra card and raised it to the night sky. The card began to glow and Malik laughed as his body mimicked that very glow. Suddenly, his voice became stronger and his muscle mass regenerated and he was no longer the frail and weak corpse-like being he previously was.

"It's time for us to settle this," said Yugi.

"Very well," declared the much more confident yet malicious sounding voice of a restored Malik. He lowered the hood on his cloak and his blonde hair met the summer breeze.  
"My main question is what is the meaning of all this," began Yugi. "You've returned to this world somehow and now you're trying to take it over once again, but how have you returned to this world? I thought you were sealed away for good when Marik renounced you after the pharaoh an dI beat you in that duel at the end of Battle City."

"Well," began Malik as he licked his lips, thirsting for more blood. "You see, when you and the pharaoh traveled to the world of the ancient past and faced Thief King Bakura and Zorc, I was able to escape from the Shadow Realm. When Bakura released Zorc from his chains, it caused the door to the Shadow Realm to open and although that occurred in the ancient past, the door still opened in the present because in the Shadow Realm, there is no such thing as time. There is only darkness. I seized the opportunity and I made my fateful escape to this world. For the past few months, I have been trying to regain my former powers and more as I sought to destroy you Yugi and to conquer the world. I had quite an enjoyable time today, Yugi, for you see, I spent the day with your little friend, Mokuba."

"What did you do to him?" demanded Yugi.

"He was so frightened and cried for his older brother to save him, but I assured him that no such thing would ever happen. I planned to keep him as my slave so that he would do my dirty work, but than I decided that I am better off working alone. So, I freed him. I trust that he will never forget the day that he and I spent together. I had him chained to a tombstone and I berated him about how he would never see his dead brother again. Than, let's just say that I taught Mokuba a thing or two about sexuality," said Malik as he raised his eye brows and smiled.

"You're sick," said Yugi bitterly as Joey stared in disgust as Malik began to laugh harder than ever.

"You act like I take that as an insult," taunted Malik.

"You should," began Yugi. "I defeated you once and I'll defeat you again! I mean that. I'll send you right back to the Shadow Realm and you can rot there forever, you freak. You're going to pay for what you did to Mokuba and for everything else you've done."

"Oh really, and just who's going to make me?"

"Me!" asserted Yugi.

"And me!" asserted Joey.

"Well, if that's the case than I challenge both of you to a duel, but we won't have it just yet. I want to demonstrate to both of you just how limitless my powers truly are," began Malik as he held up the Winged Dragon of Ra card in to the dark air. The black mist returned and began to fill the graveyard as skeletons rose from the ground. They were everywhere. Some of them bore armor and weapons and others didn't. This had been the reason that Malik had used this graveyard as his headquarters. He wanted to use its hundreds and hundreds of inhabitants as his own personal army.

"He's a necromancer," said Yugi.

"Behold my army of the undead!" began Malik.

The skeletons began to close in on Yugi and Joey, but something spectacular happened. Yugi's deck began to glow and the Dark Magician appeared from it. Simultaneously, Joey's deck began to glow and Flame Swordsman appeared from no where.

"Our duel spirits will never leave us, no matter what kind of situation we're in," declared Yugi. "Dark Magician, silence these walking dead!"

"Flame Swordsman, help him out!"

The Dark Magician unleashed a great wave of energy from his hand that sent many of the skeletons flying backward and shattering in to many bone fragments. Flame Swordsman swung his sword and from it, bursts of fire erupted, burning the countless undead in their tracks.

"Let's settle this maturely, Malik. There's no need to disturb the dead. They didn't do anything to you!" asserted Yugi. Malik grinned.

"Yes, but I just shake with glee at the thought of watching them attack the citizens of Domio City while I reign as king."

"You'll never be king!" yelled Joey.

"Says you and your friend?" asked Malik.

"Damn straight!" replied Joey.

"Very well than," laughed Malik. "Allow me to show you the true horrors of my power," as he again raised his hands in to the air and began to chant words which neither Yugi nor Joey could comprehend. A cyclone of darkness appeared form the sky and struck Malik, totally encircling him. It was apparent that no one could survive such a thing, but Malik proved that wrong. When the dark twister disappeared , he arose from it, grinding his teeth as he began to walk towards Yugi and Joey. Flame Swordsman and Dark Magician readied their respective weapons, preparing to defend their masters from all harm, but Malik stopped dead in his tracks and he opened his mouth to speak, uttering a single word which would have dire consequences.

"Arise."

"And with that one word, a ray of dark energy struck the earth and a great beast arose from that cataclysmic force. The Winged Dragon of Ra stood behind Malik, towering over everyone. It was not itself; it was a rusty, dark brown color rather than its usual golden; its arms, legs, neck, and back had spikes running down them; its eyes glowed an ardently evil shade of green; and it was much more terrifying than previous.

"What have you done to it?" asked Yugi.

"I have altered it to my liking," smiled Malik.

"Why?" interrogated Yugi in shock.

"This dragon is now fitting for me, but first, before I can unlock its true powers. I must defeat its master in a duel for it to work properly for me. Its former master was Marik and than I sent him to the Shadow realm and it served me, but than I was defeated by the pharaoh and he became its master. Now, Yugi tell me, who exactly defeated its last master?"

"I did," said Yugi."

"Precisely, and so for me to truly use Ra to my liking to terrorize the earth, I must defeat you in a duel. The millennium puzzle may be no more, but the power of the gods still is."

"Its time to duel!" began Yugi.

"Yes, but not here. I want the citizens of Domino to witness our duel and so, we will duel there," stated Malik as everyone was warped to the roof of one of Domino's tallest skyscrapers. Yugi and Joey appeared there on their knees and the Dark Magician and Flame Swordsman were still behind them, prepare to harm anyone whom might try to lay a hand on their masters.

"The world shall witness me dethrone you from your title of King of Games, Yugi," laughed Malik maliciously. "I want everyone to know the truth about the nature of evil. Now, arise my servants," as he lifted his hand in to the air and countless skeleton warriors appeared in the streets below. The citizens of Domino began to run in fear as the creatures terrified them.

"Our friends will have to handle all that," said Yugi.

"Agreed," replied Joey.

On the ground below, Mai, Rebecca, Duke, and Bakura readied their decks and unleashed their best monsters to fend off the evil which Malik had unleashed upon the city.

"Harpie Ladies and Harpie's Pet Dragon!" called Mai.

"Orgoth the Relentless, Spike Bot, Despair from the Dark!" shouted Duke.

"Marie the Fallen One, Shadow Ghoul, and Diamond Head dragon!" called Rebecca.

"Dark Necrofear and doom caliber Knight!" called Bakura.

There monsters all appeared and prepared to fend off all the evil which was currently attacking the city. They charged in to battle and began destroying all of Malik's undead warriors.

"Now, let us see who truly is the better duelist," began Malik as he readied his deck.

"Let's," said Yugi as he readied his.

"I'm in this with ya, Yug, no matter what!

"Fine, you two may tag duel against me for all that I care. I will destroy both of you," laughed Malik, who seemed to be enjoying himself on this rather apocalyptic occasion. The spirits of the Dark Magician and flame Swordsman returned to Yugi's and Joey's decks as the duel began.

Yugi and Joey looked at one another and prepared to face their foe with dignity and integrity. The battle for the earth was about to begin and the two of them would fight alongside each other no matter what, repelling the forces of darkness and restoring light to the world. The fate of the world was in their hands.


	6. Interlude

In the afterlife, the Pharaoh Atem stood on a cliff next to a waterfall. The luminous rays from the sun shone, brightening the entire landscape. Overlooking grassy planes, Atem was caught in an introspective contemplation about the current situation of his love, Yugi.

"Yugi, I know you're nervous and you're frightened about the great dilemma you are facing, but know that I am with you every step of the way. We defeated this very same foe together once prior, but now you must face him not on your own, but with the help of your friends. The spirits of your monsters are with you and our good friend, Mahad, or as you may better know him as, the Dark Magician, tells me that you have come such a long way since I left all those months ago. I asked him to watch over you while I'm away and every time you summon him in a duel, he is there at your side. You're facing the world, Yugi, and if you only knew what your future holds, you would be ecstatic.

Now, with your deck at your side, Yugi, face this foe who threatens to destroy the world and vanquish him for good. It will give me another reason to become filled with pride for you, Yugi, my love. When the world is in great peril, you have the ability to save it and to redeem whomever may be behind all the madness, but first, you must terminate their malicious aspirations. Yugi, you are so amazing and I don't ever want for you to doubt yourself. Go forward with confidence and there is nothing you can't do.

"Still, I am waiting for you and I will always be here, waiting for the day when you die and join me in this paradise, but until than, I want you to make the best of the life you have on earth and for the next sixty, seventy years you are alive, embrace every moment of it.

"Yugi, my love, defeat Malik and than break through to him so that he may have a chance at redemption. Trust in yourself and in the heart of the cards and you will never fail."


	7. Chapter 6 - Annihilation of Evil

"Yug, I'm with you on this!" shouted Joey.

"No, Joey. Come to think of it, I don't think this is a good idea. If you lose, you'll be sent to the Shadow Realm. I won't risk it," stated Yugi.

"Yug…"

"I want my revenge on the one who sealed me away! Stay out of this, Wheeler!" shouted Malik.

"You heard him, Joey…"

Joey backed off, taking a few steps backward as his disappointed eyes looked at Yugi, whom was readying his duel disk.

"Malik, it's time to duel!"

Marik's former alter-ego laughed as he prepared his deck, a duel disk magically appearing on his arm.

"Ugh, my deck's not even ready for a duel right now," thought Yugi to himself. "I need to have faith and believe that I can win."

"Oh, Yugi, I hope you don't mind that I'm going to use my newly reacquired Egyptian God card," chuckled the mad man. "He's been reunited with his daddy."

Yugi grinded his teeth upon hearing those sickening words as he watched Malik kiss the Ra card.

"Let's start this Malik," began Yugi. "I draw. I play set one card in defense mode and another one face down and I end my turn."

"Is that the best you could do? I play two cards face down. I end my turn."

"Now, I draw. I play Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode. When Breaker is summoned, I am allowed to destroy one spell or trap card on the field and I choose the one on the right!"

"Damn you, Yugi," said Malik as Shrink was sent to the graveyard.

"Now, I switch Silver Fang in to attack mode and I attack you directly with both my monsters. Go, my beasts!"

"Yeah, Yug, you almost took down all his life points in just one turn!" exclaimed Joey from the sidelines.

"I can't get cocky about it, Joey. It's not over until the last card is played. It's your move, Malik."

"This turn, I will turn things around," thought Malik to himself. "I play Enraged Battle Ox and I attack Silver Fang. Due to his effect, you take piercing battle damage."

"I only lost five hundred life points. It's no big deal. Are you finished yet?" asked Yugi.

"Not quite. I play the spell card Jam Breeding Machine and set another and end."

"Jam breeding Machine?" thought Yugi to himself. "I know what that does. He's planning to use it to make three tokens and bring out the Winged Dragon of Ra, but the thing is that it'll have fifteen hundred attack points because its attack and defense equal the combined total of the monsters used for its tribute and those tokens have 500 attack, so what good would that be? He must be up to something."

"What's wrong? Are you trying to figure out my strategy?" taunted Malik.

"It's my move! I play the spell card Pot of Greed and that allows me to draw two new cards. Per its effect, I special summon Watapon and then I sacrifice him to bring out Curse of Dragon. You're finished, Malik! Curse of Dragon, attack Battle Ox!"

"It's my move," snapped Malik. "First, my slime token generates. I then play the spell card Double Summon and so I summon my Vorse Raider and my Kaibaman! I activate Kaiba man's special ability to summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon"

"I was afraid he was going to do that," said Yugi.

"Now, I play the spell card Burst Stream of Destruction and with it, I am allowed to destory every monster on your side of the field, Yugi. I can't attack this turn, thanks to it, but it's well worth the price."

The Blue-Eyes unleashed a stream of energy that ravaged the field, destroying Yugi's two monsters and leaving him open for an attack.

"Now, I have to end my turn, but know that this will all be over in just a few short turns, Yugi."

"You wish, Malik," responded Yugi. " I draw and I play this, Card of Sanctity and so we both draw until we have six cards in our hands. Perfect. I play Silent Swordsman in attack mode and set this card face down. I end my turn. "

"It seems to me that you're going to lose this duel, Yugi. I draw and it is exactly what I needed. I sacrifice my Blue-Eyes, Slime token, and Vorse Raider to set the stage for my ultimate monster. GREAT BEAST OF THE SKY, PLEASE HEAR MY CRY. TRANSFORM THYSELF FROM ORB OF LIGHT AND BRING ME VICTORY IN THIS FIGHT. DEVOUR THE DESERTS WITH YOUR GLOW AND CAST YOUR RAGE UPON MY FOE. UNLOCK YOUR POWERS FROM DEEP WITHIN SO THAT TOGETHER, WE MAY WIN. HERE IN THIS SHADOW GAME, I CALL OUT THY NAME - WINGED DRAGON OF RA!"

With the chant completed, rays of blinding light struck the field as the winds began to howl and lightning erupted from the sky. From an orb of Light, the great beast arose, but instantly, a let out a screech, and became corrupted. Its skin transitioned in to a grayish-brown color as its claws and teeth became sharper and more deadly-looking, wile its wings became more devil-like. It was as if it was no longer the card that Yugi had always known it as, but rather something entirely different.

"My great beast has arrived and it looks spectacular with its 5,400 attack points. Now, Yug, what are you to do? Ra, attack his monster and end this duel!"

"Go, Turn Jump! My quick play spell card instantly ends your battle phase and allows three turns worth of time to pass by, but neither of us are allowed to draw any cards during those three turns. Now, my swordsman's special ability activates and this allows me to replace him with his level 5 transformation. He now has 3,000 attack points!"

"It matters not, Yugi. My Ra is still the strongest beast on the field by far."

"That is yet to be seen," replied Yugi. "

On the streets of Domino City, a battle was being waged for the fate of man kind. Mai, Rebecca, Duke, and Bakura had summoned their favorite monsters and were fighting against the countless zombies, which were ravaging the streets and terrifying civilians.

"Shadow Ghoul, slaughter those things!" ordered Rebecca to her monster as a group of zombies were closing in on a woman and her young child.  
"Harpie Ladies, you too!" ordered Mai.

"Thank you! You saved us," said the woman.  
"Just doing our job," said Mai.

The four of them fended off as many of the zombies as they could, but it seemed like the undead were a never-ending army.

"Seiyaryu!"

"Guardian Angel Joan!" called Tea and Serenity as they joined the fight.

"Kick ass, Spike Bot!" called Duke as his Spike Bot smashed some zombies against a building wall.

"Need some help?" came the voice of Rafael. Behind him were Valon and Allister and all three of them had their duel disks ready. They each summoned their best monsters and joined the fight against evil.

The group fought endlessly against the countless zombies and did their best to ensure the safely of Domino's civilians.

ON THE TOP OF A SKYSCRAPER…

"Make your move!"

"I will. I play one card face down and I summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode. He can't be destroyed by monsters with more than 1,900 attack. I end my turn," said Yugi.

"Is that the best you can do? King of Games, my ass! My Egyptian god monster, destroy his Swordsman and end this duel!"

"Not so fast. I activate my trap card, Soul Shield. I am allowed to pay half my life points to negate your attack. My swordsman, whom is now at 3,500 attack points, is safe."

"To hell with you, Yugi. I end my turn," snapped Malik.

Yugi, knowing this could be the end, drew and it was just what he needed.

"I play my spell card Swords of Revealing Light! This means you can't attack for three of your turns," stated Yugi confidently.  
"You're just stalling the inevitable!" shouted Malik.

"I now summon Alpha the magnet Warrior in defense mode and end my turn," declared Yugi.

"Very well. I can't attack , but I play Blade Knight in defense mode and set three cards and end my turn," said Malik.

"That's one turn, two to go. I play the spell card Graceful Charity and I can draw three cards, so long as I discard two. I discard these two and I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in defense mode. That's all for now," said Yugi.

"How pathetic. You're just trying to build up your defenses while I can't attack. I draw and I play Y-Dragon Head. That's all for now," said Malik.

"Alright, you have one more turn that you can't attack, so I've gotta make these next two moves count. Marshmallon's special effect would come in handy so well right now, but he's probably buried so deep in my deck… First I attack your Blade Knight with my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian and then I attack your Y-Dragon Head with my Swordsman, who is now at 4,500 attack points. You have one more turn where you can't attack. I end my turn," stated Yugi.

"I summon my Dark Blade in defense mode of course and I set one card face down. I end, Yugi."

The swords of light vanished from Malik's side of the field and Yugi swallowed heavily. This next card would be crucial in deciding who would win the match.

"I play the spell card Exchange. This means we are each allowed to pick a card from one another's hand and use it as if it was our own."

The two men walked towards one another and revealed their hands. In Yugi's hand was Red Gadget, Green Gadget, and Monster Reincarnation. Malik took Monster Reincarnation. In Malik's hand was Blue-Eyes White Dragon, another Blue-Eyes White Dragon, Different Dimension Dragon, Card of Sanctity, X-Head Cannon, and Polymerization. Yugi took Card of Sanctity. They each returned to their respective positions.

"Alright, I first play Red Gadget in defense mode, which allows me to add Yellow Gadget to my hand. I now play Card of Sanctity and so we each draw until we have six cards in our hands," said Yugi. He drew it - Slifer the Sky Dragon., as well as Dark Magic Curtain, Buster Blader, Beta the Magnet Warrior, and Gandora the Dragon of Destruction. "Malik, in my hand I hold the cards which will lead to your destruction. It all ends next turn!"

"I'm sure it does," replied Malik with a tone of sarcasm in his voice. "Now that my god is free to attack. Ra, destroy his Red Gadget and end this duel!"  
"Why didn't he attack my swordsman?" thought Yugi to himself.

"Now, with the battle phase over, I activate Ra's special ability and drain the rest of my life points except for 1 to increase his attack points from 5,400 to 6,300! I also set two cards face-down card and play the spell card Emergency Provision, sacrificing my Spell Reproduction and my newly set Monster Reincarnation to the graveyard. I gain two thousand life points!"

"That's why," thought Yugi to himself. "He wants to taunt me."

"You're move, Yugi.

"I draw. First, I set this trap card and then I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior. I fuse him via contact fusion with my other two magnet warriors and I summon the almighty Valkyrion the Magna Warrior in defense mode. That's all,' said Yugi.

"Interesting," began Malik. "You think you can hide behind an army of monsters. Well, it all ends here, Yugi. Ra, destroy his swordsman and end this duel!"

"Go, Magical Hats! Conceal my monsters." Four Magical Hats appeared upon the field, cloaking Yugi's monsters. Ra's blast hit the hat concealing Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, but due to his effect, he is not destroyed and being in defense position, Yugi took no damage. "Are you done yet?"

"Yes, I am."

"Good, now I draw. I'll hide my Blockman in defense mode under one of the Magical Hats. Meanwhile, my swordsman grows stronger and will gain another 500 points as soon as I end my turn. I end."

"I have to destroy that damn knight this turn or I'll be in serious trouble. Ra, destroy another one of his monsters," screamed Malik as he pointed to a hat on the far right."

"It seems that you've destroyed my magna warrior, but his sacrifice will not be in vain," smiled Yugi.

"Ugh, I play La Jinn in defense mode and I… I… I set one card."

"What's the matter? Scared because you know my swordsman is now stronger than Ra?" taunted Yugi.

"How dare you insult me! It's your move!"

"Excellent. First, because my Blockman has been on the field for two turns, I activate his special ability and so I divide him in to two block tokens and then I sacrifice them, along with my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, to summon my Egyptian God card, Slifer the Sky Dragon!" Red lightning struck the rooftop as a red aura of divine power began emitting from the sky. The great dragon arrived asnd with it, the dawn of Yugi's victory. "I have four cards in my hand and so, Slifer has 4,000 attack and defense points. I think you know what happens next. Silent Swordsman , destroy the Winged dragon of Ra!" With its 6,500 attack points, the tall, muscular swordsman, dressed in his typical long, flowing, white trench coat, jumped in to the air and slashed the Winged dragon of Ra with his mighty blade. There was an explosion and in the end of it, Silent Swordsman was the one left standing for Ra had succumbed to the attack and was gone.

"No! My Egyptian God monster!" screamed Malik as he held his hand against his forehead.

"When you believe in the heart of the cards, amazing things can happen," said Yugi. He looked at Silent Swordsman, who looked back and they smiled at one another. "Now, Slifer, destroy his La Jinn!" Slifer's blast completely annihilated the genie from the field. On the next turn, Yugi would surely win. "It's your move…"

"To hell with you, Yugi! I will not be defeated! I play Monster Reborn and I summon in defense mode my Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Then, I play polymerization and fuse it with the two in my hand to special summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon with 4,500 attack points! Now, Yugi, you will see what true power is all about! Even though Slifer strikes it for two-thousand points, I play the field spell Luminous Spark, which gives all light monsters an additional 500 attack points and then I equip it with Axe of Despair and Blustering Winds to make it gain another two thousand life points! Blue-Eyes, destroy Slifer!" and so it happened and the three-headed dragon destroyed the Egyptian God, which only had 4,000 attack points.  
"Ugh," shrieked Yugi as he covered his eyes from the explosion.

"Now, I set one card face-down and I play Hand Destruction. We each discard two cards and draw two new cards and I end my turn," panted Malik.

Yugi discarded Green Gadget and Yellow Gadget and drew two new cards - Summoned Skull and Ancient Rules.

"He destroyed Slifer," thought Yugi to himself. "I have to defend my life points until I can beat that thing, unless I take a risk and end it now. Brain Control would be so useful right now, but it's probably at the bottom of my deck…"

"You won't beat my dragon!" screamed Malik.

"First, I play the spell card Ancient Rules, which allows me to summon one normal, high-leveled monster and I choose my Summoned Skull.!" The great fiend appeared on the field next to Silent Swordsman and glared at the ultimate dragon. I now attack you with Silent Swordsman!"

"Activate trap! Inter Dimensional Matter Transporter! Your attacking monster is banished until your next end phase!" laughed Malik.

"I end my turn," sighed Yugi.

"Now, Blue-Eyes, attack his skull!"

"Go, trap card - Spellbinding Circle!" stated Yugi. "Per its effect, you can not change your Blue-Eyes' position nor can it declare an attack."

"Damn you, Yugi! I set one card and end my turn!"

"I play my Dark Magic Curtain and I pay half my life points to call forth my most-trusted servant and greatest ally, the Dark Magician and I set one card and end my turn. My Swordsman returns to me."

"Now that he has his best monster back, I am helpless. Unless, I can draw more cards," thought Malik to himself. "I play Cup of Chalice and with it, a coin must be tossed. If I win, I draw two new cards and vice-versa."

Instantly a large coin appeared in the air and heads was for Malik, tails was for Yugi. It tossed and landed on tails.

"No!" screamed Malik.

"I can draw two new cards," smiled Yugi. He drew them and they were Kuriboh and Sage's Stone.

"I… end my… turn…" struggled Malik.

"I draw and first, I summon Kuriboh and then I play the spell card Sage's Stone to bring out one of my personal favorites, Dark Magician Girl!" The fur ball and the female magician appeared on the field alongside Summoned Skull, Silent Swordsman and Dark Magician. Now, I set one card and I sacrifice Kuriboh and Dark Magician Girl to summon Gandora the Dragon of Destruction!" Black lightning struck the roof and from it appeared the massive, dark dragon whose flesh was lined with many red gems. It roared and stomped its feet, sensing Yugi's desire for victory and awaiting his command. "It all ends here for you see, whenever my dragon is summoned, I can activate his special effect which destroys and banishes all cards on the field, including my own. I can then attack you with him directly and his attack points are equal to the number of cards banished multiplied by three hundred."

The great dragon began glowing ardent red as red jets of energy shot from every single gem on its body, destroying every monster , spell, and trap in play and totaling nine. Yugi, for the sake of it, activated on of his traps, Black Illusion, and used it to protect the Dark Magician from Gandora's effect. Gandora, with 2,700 attack points, stood alongside the Dark Magician. Other than the two of them, the field was entirely cleared.

"It ends now!" began Yugi. "Shall we, Mahad?" asked Yugi to the Dark Magician. The magician glanced back at him and smiled.

"We shall," replied the Dark Magician.

"Go, Dark Magic Attack!" declared Yugi. The Dark Magician aimed his staff directly at Malik and fired, eradicating the remainder of his life points and securing victory for Yugi.

Yugi's two monsters vanished and the duel was won. Joey ran over to him and hugged him before they both turned their heads to Malik.

"This is not… OVER!" screamed the evil spirit and from him, waves of dark purple energy began exploding from thin air. His form began to change and he got even more hideous than ever thought possible.

"Yug, I don't like the look of this," said Joey.

"He's beaten. Now, it's time to destroy him with magic so that he can never return. I call forth my great sorcerers! Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magician of Chaos, Silent Magician, and Sorcerer of Dark Magic, destroy him for good!" declared Yugi.

The five magicians appeared before Yugi and they rose in to the air - Dark Magician, tall and clothed in his tight, violet outfit with the long, flowing loin cloth; Dark Magician Girl, sporting her signature shirt and magician girl-esque attire of pink and blue; Dark Magician of Chaos, ominously beautiful with his tall, thin figure that is clothed in his skin-tight, black outfit; Silent Magician, angelically beautiful and donning her long, flowing, white robe that serenely and flawlessly complimented her tall, sweeping figure; and lastly, the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, sporting his beautiful black and dark blue armor. All five sorcerers aimed their staffs at Malik and each unleashed a devastating blast of energy upon him, engulfing him in utter terror and annihilation. When the blast cleared, all that was left of Malik was the deck he used, which was primarily the deck of Seto Kaiba.

"Thank you. You all did fantastic," smiled Yugi to his five sorcerers, whom all smiled back and vanished, returning to his deck.

"Yug, so is he beat? Malik?"

"Yes, he is, Joey. Let's get out of here."

The two of them made it to the street below and found their friends suddenly relieved. All the zombies which had attacked the city had now vanished and all seemed to be alright.

"You guys did it!" exclaimed Tea as she rushed towards the two of them, hugging them.

"We dealt with those walking-dead nightmares the best we could," said Mai.

"Yeah, and they probably have already hurt a lot of people," said Serenity.

"We about kicked their rotten asses straight to hell," said Valon.

"You can say that again," replied Allister.

"You all are heroes and deserve so much recognition for what you did," began Yugi. "I'm so proud of all of you."

"So he really is gone, Malik?" asked Duke.

"Yeah, he is," promised Yugi.

"Good riddance to him," said Rafael.

"Exactly," said Yugi as Joey threw his arm over his shoulder.

"Yug, I really wanted to help you in that duel, but I gues I understand why you ended up not letting me," confessed Joey.

"Thanks for understanding, Joey. I'd never be able to live with myself if you were hurt or killed."

Upon those words, Yugi and Joey fell in to a hug and everyone else watched in adoration. The world was saved.

Standing on a grand balcony overlooking gorgeous mountains, the Pharaoh Atem stood, feeling nothing but pride. The endless rays of the sun shone upon the land and tranquility filled his heavenly kingdom in the afterlife, where no death, depression, anxiety, nor malice ever existed. He smiled, feeling satisfied of the recent news.

"Yugi, Mahad has told me what you did and I feel for you nothing but love and pride…"


End file.
